Who you are
by xentrya
Summary: As the number of her victims increases, a young and yet inexperienced Xena begins to blame herself for her deeds, while gradually starting to doubt her own value as a human being...Luckily, a tall, dark and handsome War God is there to guide and support her...:)
1. It all starts with a friendly chit chat

**OK GUYS,I SURE HOPE YOU LIKE THIS. JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK AND IN THE MEANTIME, I'LL MAKE SURE TO WRITE SOME MORE CHAPTERS:) IDEAS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME BY THE WAY:)) **

"You cock sucking slut!"

" A murderous bitch, that's what she is!"

"You're a whore!"

" Monster! I hope you die!"

" When Ares gets tired of you, he will throw you away like a used rag!"

" You stone hearted slut!"

" You're gonna pay for this, cunt! The Fates, if not the God themselves will make sure you pay!"

…..It was pretty much the same ritual, wherever her army went….No matter how remote the village and how utterly illiterate the people, they were all shouting the same universally accepted truth- that she was a whore, **War's whore** to be more precise and that the only reason why she was given that temporary amount of power over them was because of the magic she had between her legs and partly because of her unmatchable, manipulative charm- that the powerful Olympian had happened to appreciate….

Usually, those type of venomous outbursts left her absolutely cold, she had learned a long time ago not to give a damn about what the others around her thought- their opinion didn't really matter anyway as long as she was the one calling the shots, but for some reason, today, as a seven years old kid threw a tomato at her when she reached the center of that accursed village, repeating his father's words, something broke inside her…..

**" _You fucking wench!"_** he yelled, and more than the content of his words, what actually managed to hit a nerve, was the revulsion in his voice, the contempt as he said it….A child…a mere child had articulated that….

She didn't even bother looking for his face in the crowd- his appearance held no importance to her. It was actually better this way….Faceless victims were easier to deal with than the memory of brokenhearted, hopeless or - as it was the case today- furious eyes remaining forever imprinted in her memory...haunting her to exhaustion each night.

" Gather the women and children into the valley. Burn everything to the ground and crucify the men!" she absently barked her order to Darphus- her second in command, casting a long, inanimate gaze over the maddened with despair mothers and wives, begging her to take pity on them….

Before the possibility of a second thought even crossed her mind nonetheless, a rain of fire balls began falling down the wooden houses, while an energetic storm the likes of which she had never seen before, sent all the villagers flying straight into the flames….Within seconds, they were all burning, human torches that threw themselves in agony to the ground in the desperate attempt to put down the fire, everything unfolding on a perfectly executed symphony of piercing screams and hair- raising wails …

" I must admit, they 're good! Wasted potential, that's for sure…Those high notes are pretty hard to reproduce on stage…." the War God remarked, while making a flashy appearance by her side, on a pitch black stallion, and judging by the satisfied look on his face he was really enjoying the show.

" My Lord!" Darphus and all the other soldiers present exclaimed, dismounting with the speed of light and bowing respectfully the very following second, trembling in fear at the thought that without them knowing it, they might have said or done something wrong….No one wanted to cross him…not when they knew perfectly well what a person having his temper could do….Those poor souls screaming in pain, women and children included, drawing their last breath while the flesh melted on their bones- an awful way to die indeed- was proof enough…

"Ares, what do you think you're doing?!" Xena's voice slashed the uncomfortable- or better said** deadly- ** silence that followed." I only ordered **the men** killed…."

The God only lifted his hand up, signaling her to stop talking.

"Draphus!" he continued, much to the Warrior Princess' frustration. She didn't say anything though….There was enough time for that, later, and plus, she already had an entire speech in mind- for his ears only, filled with curses to shock even the most obscene of minds.

"Yes my Lord!" the man promptly answered, shortly meeting the God's gaze just to fix the ground again when he understood that he shouldn't have lifted his eyes in the first place.

" Lead the rest of the troops towards the valley. You'll make camp there and you'll wait for your general's orders. Do you understand?"

" Yes Lord Ares. It shall be done!"

"Good…." the leather clad Olympian simply answered, waiting for the soldiers to leave the village. It didn't last long until he and Xena were the only ones there…..Well, the two of them and the countless dead bodies now cluttered pretty much everywhere.

" Don't you just love the smell of burnt flesh in the morning?!" he jokingly questioned, grinning wickedly at the visibly enraged dark haired Warrior whose gaze was still fixed on those hundreds lifeless corpses gradually turning into ashes …..A monstrosity...

" A landscape littered with body parts….Just like you wanted it…." she breathed out in disgust.

" Perhaps I've been just a tad overzealous, but it does give you an unique feeling of….let me find the right word….**satisfaction**….doesn't it?" he emphasized, grabbing her horses' reins and pulling her closer to him.

" This wasn't your decision to take….! I had plans with them! " she spat, ice shining on the surface of her crystal blue moons, barely restraining the urge to send him flying off his four legged friend.

" Did you now? " he seductively inquired - casually adjusting her shoulder armor and making sure to _accidentally_ caress her skin in the process, all this without leaving for the slightest moment the impression that it was the most intimate gesture in the world and that their bodies were temptingly close to each other….

" Well…it so happens that **I had…- still have** by the way- plans with **you**, and a softhearted Warrior Princess isn't precisely what I bargained for...if you know what I mean…" he pointed out, his hand now resting casually on her thigh.

" What are you talking about?" she bit, trying to push his hand away, but it was as if having tried to move a mountain. He did laugh at her attempt though…This woman was fantastic…After all those long months spent in his company, she still had no idea who she was dealing with…Or maybe she did, and that was in fact the problem…

" You seem to have forgotten who you are…."he simply continued, and an unspoken message floated in the air between them before the Warrior Princess replied.

" Really…? You seem to know more about the subject than I do.." she snorted, boldly grabbing the reins from his hand, and urging her horse to move on, but it wasn't long before he caught her wrist, gripping it with enough force to remind her that it was not a good idea to walk away from him like that.

In a stubborn response to his brutality, she just yanked herself free, clenching her teeth at that sick nerve he had.

Before she knew it though, the fabric of reality was being torn apart from under her very eyes, while a new – far more alluring one- took its place…..When the blinding lights of the vortex finally died out and she once again became aware of her surroundings, Xena discovered that she had been transported in the most exotic place she had ever seen, and the War God's arms were still possessively snaked around her waist.

" It's time you and I had a bit of friendly chit- chat my sweet, beautiful Princess.." he murmured darkly into her ear and, tortuously slow, his fingers began roaming up her breasts, just to end on the side of her neck, where they clasped, discreetly waiting for a reaction…


	2. Everything you need

**:)) TOO SAPPY? **

" I would have never guessed the God of War was into **friendly** chit- chats…" she bit, barely restrained fury reverberating off of her every word, arching a defying eyebrow at his imperious need to show her that he was the one in control – or at least that was what his tightly clasped fingers around her neck subtly told her.

Well… this time she was adamant about proving him wrong though, for she was sick and tired of him constantly meddling into her affairs, always watching her every step- as if she were one of those bloody incompetent generals who couldn't do one thing right- always lecturing her whenever she didn't stick to some damned plan, whenever she did things differently from what they had initially discussed…

" I'm into a lot of things…" he replied in a darkly suave tonality, as his other hand moved slightly upper, his thumb brushing lightly the side of her breast, and successfully managing to distract her for a brief moment.

" I'm sure you are… " she growled, trying to stay angry at him, but her distraction only seemed to reach scandalous proportions when she felt his hand fondling her breast now, and she could have sworn it was her bare skin he was touching. She tried not to gasp when, casting an eye at her own body, she noticed that her leathers had changed into what must have been a backless, long chiffon gown, the deep V neck of which offered the God perfect access to her chest. The double lateral slits of the accursed thing, only gave her even more the impression that she was close to naked in his arms….

" …..Why don't you cut the crap though and tell me what exactly it was you were doing back in that village?" she said, finally turning around to face him, making sure to push him as far away from her as she could, suddenly offended by the fact he had been cleverly trying to divert her attention from his unpardonable mistake, by recurring to the sexual effect he knew he had on her.

"What do you mean?" he innocently asked, cocking his head lightly to the side, his mouth curling into an amused grin that nearly reached his steely eyes.

"You son of a bitch! You had no right, Ares!" she exploded this time, unable to control herself any longer, blood racing through her veins now …Every single sound he uttered only seemed to irritate her beyond words- and what disturbed her the most was not even the fact that he had made her look like a fool earlier in that village but more like the fact that she wasn't even half as angry as she should have been at him…..

At this point, she would have been delighted to smack that wicked smile off his face but at the same time, her incredibly uncooperative brain kept repeating like a mantra just how sexy he looked wearing it- and that was bothering her terribly.

"Excuse me?! No right?! I'm the **God of War**, Honey! I can kill whomever I want, and I sure don't need anyone's permission to do it…It's one of the many pleasures this job has to offer , if you will..." he retorted, brazenly fixing his longing gaze on her generously displayed breasts- the fine fabric of that so called dress did a terrible job in covering them up properly- and his rich, powerful, manly voice along with the desire burning in his eyes only sparkled some even more illicit sensations inside her.

She contented herself nonetheless with gritting her teeth and snarling at his casualness.

" …Not if that means having my army ignore my orders and giving them new ones!"

The Olympian couldn't help himself. He just had to chuckle at her frustration. Without taking his eyes from her, he closed the distance between them again, making sure to stop just a few inches away from her tantalizing body, lifting her chin up with one finger and leaning in enough so that when he spoke, she could actually feel the force of his words pouring from his lips.

" You probably mean…**.my** army…." he emphasised, walking past her as soon as he was done talking.

She angrily grabbed his arm, keeping him in place. Oh, how he loved it the Bastard, to toy with her like that!

"No. I mean** my** army given the fact that **I'm** their overall commander."

"And who exactly do you serve ?" he inquired, glancing at her over his shoulder and briefly wondering what on earth had that woman done to bewitch him to the point that he found even her outraging insolence, attractive…

" My own interests of course. " she tried to sting, but to her boundless surprise, she didn't quite get the reaction that she had anticipated at that straightforward offense, the one reaction that would have finally allowed her to release all that pent up fury boiling inside her ever since her men had taken that freaking village that morning.

"As much as I share your youthful exuberance- and I do, I really do…. let me refresh your memory…." he started, on such a patronizing tone that her body turned even more rigid the very following second. She was going to beat the crap out of him soon and she was going to enjoy every minute of it. " You see, my gorgeous Warrior Princess, you _work_ **for me**…that pretty much means that you answer **to me**. So uh… whatever choice I make regarding** our** battle plans, you will have to learn to respect it and live with it too, without making a fuss about it. It's as simple as that…" he concluded, a cup of wine materializing in his hand as he began heading towards large leather sofa placed a few feet away from them, casually kicking aside the stunningly embroidered velvet pillows scattered right about everywhere on the floor.

" Well if I give up commanding your men, you can stick those battle plans up your ass! " she screamed behind him, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at him as hard as she could, right when he was about to take a sip of wine.

At her gesture, the God stopped dead in his tracks, but, as if nothing notable had happened, he didn't turn around to look at her. Instead, he absently wiped away from his chest the spilled, crimson drink.

"You know as well as I do that you could as well stop breathing the moment you try something like that!" he threatened while carefully listening to the rest of her little speech about how useful those peasants might have been.

" There was no need for all those people to die! Women and children, Ares! All of them completely defenseless, and for what?! "

"You would have ended up crucifying them anyway…" he remarked, taking a seat and making himself comfortable, draping one leg over the armrest as usually and just enjoying the show….She was like a volcano, boiling with rage, passion and sexual tension and …..all the right ingredients that turned her into the ideal woman- at least in his vision.

" Not all of them! I could have sold them as slaves in Corinth, make some money to buy new weapons for the soldiers ! " she contradicted, in an even higher note now.

"Since when do you need** money **to have weapons made? Just make a list, I'll give you everything you need….." he said with a laugh, taking a mental note at the absolutely fascinating way in which her chest was rising and falling from all that useless jabbering, and no matter how hard she tried to ignore him, she just couldn't help feeling uncomfortable at the lecherous way in which he was looking at her. There was no doubt about it, in his mind, she was already naked, riding him on that leather sofa. He could as well kiss that scenario goodbye though, she told to herself, narrowing her eyes at him.

"And that doesn't answer my question, by the way! Not to mention the fact that you completely undermined my authority in front of my troops!" she continued, glaring daggers at him.

" You don't need to worry about that; those soldiers will obey you. They know that the minute they betray you, their heads will be decorating their own spikes- on the road from here to the Aegean Sea….." he explained, finishing his wine and throwing the goblet over his shoulder. It must have landed somewhere at the back of the room, but no sound was heard. "As for your question…."

"Don't tell me you actually have an explanation for that too….." she spat, quirking a perplexed eyebrow at him.

" Let's just say that I don't like to see pain in your eyes….."

His line left her speechless of course. She hadn't seen that one coming….The chances of him ever admitting that out loud, had always been close to zero, at least from her point of view…

" Pain?" she somehow managed to mumble, a small voice in her head finally reminding her that she was supposed to feign consternation at his words….Too late…" No thanks, I'm fine….." she added, with a frown once she noticed his extended hand, inviting her to take a seat by his side, only to fold her arms across her chest and throw a contemptuous glare his way when without a warning, he vanished from sight.

Right when she was about to start cursing his name again though- like she usually did when she was angry with him and he disappeared on her without a word, she felt the ground being swept from beneath her feet and the next thing she knew, her back was hitting the floor, or better said, the soft pillows covering it while Ares' heavy body trapped her there.

She immediately jumped at the rare opportunity to slap him, and she did it with such visible and vibrant satisfaction that any man would have returned _the favor_ just for the sake of wiping that glorious smile off her face, but instead of acting on impulse, the War God settled for patiently grabbing her wrists, and pinning her arms above her head, making sure she didn't flinch a muscle this time.

" Why do you let them get to you like that, huh? They're just peasants, Princess…. worthless scum that could never appreciate your unique talent, let alone understand the importance of the goal you're fighting for." he whispered, as if making sure that no one else could hear him- despite them being the only ones in that room- while lovingly caressing her cheek with his free hand as he spoke.

"What are you talking about?"

"No need to deny it. I saw you…Just like I saw the hurt in your eyes when they started shouting those things at you…"

" **Hurt?!** Have you lost your mind? I've heard people addressing me similar thoughts a thousand times before in every city or village I've conquered….Why would I feel hurt? Plus…the truth shouldn't really offend anyone….."she answered, looking away as the acid words left her lips.

" The **truth**? And just what** truth** might that be? " he asked, certain that he must have misinterpreted what she had said.

" **This** truth " she bitterly retorted, rolling her eyes at him. " They might have phrased it harshly, but they sure nailed it…."

The God started at her for a few, endless seconds, refusing to admit that he had heard her right….Was she saying what he thought she did? All of the sudden, that gloomy perspective made his throat feel unusually dry, the frantic rhythm of his heart being swiftly commanded by an entirely different feeling…**revolt**….

"Have I ever treated you like a **whore** by any chance?"

She didn't say anything, but the moisture present at the corners of her eye was all the answer he needed.

" Seriously, Xena….?! " he asked, utter concern creeping in his strangled voice, and he mechanically let go of her wrists as if any touch could have meant something that shouldn't have….

"No, you haven't…" she reassuringly stated, finally meeting his gaze and resting her hands on his chest. Unconsciously, he sharply exhaled a breath that he didn't know he had been holding all this time…

" …..but still…." he insisted, his palms now framing her face , forcing her to look at him, and once again that night, he could swear his heart had stopped beating while waiting for her answer.

"Just ….take me back to camp, I still have a million things to do till nightfall." she diverted, wanting to avoid an blunt answer while also trying to get up, an attempt that the War God made sure to block the instant she sketched that gesture.

" Nothing that Darphus can't take care of , all by himself…" he specified, his voice soft but determined. There was no way he was letting her leave that place without cleaning things up.

" Oh please! I don't trust that conniving worm as far as I can throw him! I'd rather be there, make sure that everything is done by the book." she insisted, obviously feeling completely different about continuing their conversation.

" **Your **soldiers know how to set camp, Xena. Your presence there is not required tonight. …**But still**…." he stated again, on the same tone as before, thus letting her now that there was no way in Tartarus he was going to drop it…

She just gave him a quizzical glance as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

"Really?! Do I need to drag it out of you? "

" And do I need to spell it out for you?! I mean look at me….!" she said, obviously hinting at their position.

In response, he just made himself even more comfortable between her legs, making sure that between her pelvis and his groin there wasn't one single inch of space left.

" **I am** looking at you…." he answered, and Xena could have sworn that she had never seen him that serious before…

" And what do you see, huh?" she spat, once again, trying to push him away, even more infuriated if possible.

This time though, he shoved her brutally back down the pillows, a bit offended that a similar though could even cross her mind…

" **A Goddess**….an amazing woman with a potential and an ambition to match my own….an unsurpassable beauty- as stubborn as a mule one might add- …..By the way, if you were actually fishing for compliments this would be a good time to tell me, you know, cause I could go on forever…I have a pretty rich repertoire…"

Forgetting all about how furious she was supposed to be- both with him and with herself- the Warrior Princess burst into laughter…He was the only one who could paint a smile on her face even when things looked at their worst.

Seeing her happy and laughing, the War God's soul was suddenly invaded by an unexpected feeling of peace and joy…an unusual warmth that filled him on the inside like nothing else had done it before….

Without saying another word, he just captured her mouth in a hot, hungry kiss that sent their bodies ablaze from the second their lips touched, a wild, sweet madness that compelled her to arch against him, panting with blind need.

About a minute later, just as she was about to lose herself completely under the drugging effect of his tongue, he finally ended it all as abruptly as it started, aware of the fact that one thing would just lead to another….and then to another….a monumentally bad move given the nature of their previous conversation.

With an overly elegant gesture that had nothing to do with what they had been doing just earlier, he got up and offered her his hand, helping her to her feet and carefully adjusting her dress once she was standing….

The Warrior Princess just started at him as if he had gone crazy…

" So uh….what do you want to do for the rest of the evening? " he began in the clumsiest way imaginable, while searching his brain for activities that didn't involve him fucking her savagely till sunrise….." Would you like to have dinner somewhere or….go for a long…..long walk….Or you could ride me…we could ride….horses….." he stammered, looking almost embarrassed for it.

He was definitely going nuts, he said to himself when she once again started to laugh…But by Chronos, that genuine smile was the most captivating thing he had ever seen…..

" Dinner sounds nice…..I'm pretty hungry actually….." she answered, realising that she had eaten close to nothing that day and it was already sunset.

" Great…..! Do you have a place in mind? Or wait….wait!….Let me….I know the perfect location…." he eagerly said, pulling her into his arms and holding her tight. If he had ever given her the impression that she was meaningless to him- despite of the fact that in his opinion he had done the exact opposite thus far- he was going to do anything in his powers to fix it….As for the speech that he had prepared about how important it is for leaders to build a high stone wall around their heart in order to avoid suffering and remorse...that was put on hold for an indefinite period of time...There would be other moments...

**XXX **

Back in the valley, the Warrior Princess' army had just finished setting camp. Everything was in its proper place, every tent, every horse, every chariot, and the men were lazily starting to light campfires.

Away from the others, and careful not be overheard by curious ears, Darphus and Theodorus were having a chat of their own.

" …..I don't know Darphus, if Xena were to find out about this….I don't even want to think about it…"

"She won't be returning tonight. Ares will keep her busy, I can guarantee it. "

"I don't like this….."

" You just go and do what you have to do…..If by any chance Ares gets bored with her cunt and brings her back before midnight, I'll simply tell her I sent you scouting or something…."

" Don't even think about not watching my back Darphus….because if I go down, I'll make sure I pull you along with me.."


	3. There's always a plot

The moment she was able to feel solid ground beneath her feet again, the Warrior Princess opened her crystal blue moons, just to gasp in surprise at the breathtaking view she had before her. They were definitely not in Greece anymore judging by the oriental species of trees and flowers surrounding them, and despite the fact that she had no idea where exactly on the world map he had brought her, it was definitely an enchantment to the eye- a suspended paradise in which countless terraces, high walks supported by stone pillars, miniature lakes, artistically designed water fountains and incredibly realistic statues were combined in such an unprecedented harmony that she could hardly take her eyes away from them….It was as if they had entered a different world, one that had nothing in common with anything she thought she knew till that day….

Without saying a word, she slowly made her way out of the War God's protective embrace and, as if hypnotized by the rare beauty of the landscape, she headed towards the white marble steps of the inviting stairs leading towards an even higher platform and, as if oblivious that Ares was still there, behind her, she curiously rushed to see where they led. This time, as she got to the small terrace from which she could see the vast area the gardens covered, her astonishment was finally vocalized….

" Wow! What is this place? Where are we" she asked, staring in awe at the rainbow coloured blanket of amaryllis, anthuriums, blood red roses, gardenias, lilacs, and so many species of trees that she couldn't even name them all….At a first scan, she recognized a few wild almonds, orange trees, some olives, fig trees and vines, and just l like a child who had just been brought for the first time in a toy shop, she began touching the soft petals of a striking purple-blue down flower….She almost couldn't believe it was real….

" Babylon…." Ares answered, placing a light kiss on the side of her neck.

It took her a few seconds to register the information, but once she made the connection, her eyes widened in shock.

" Babylon? Are these the….?" she stopped though in mute amazement before finishing her sentence.

" The Hanging Gardens….." the War God uttered it for her, very pleased with himself for having managed to paint such a lovely smile on her face. She was clearly fascinated with everything and that could only make him happy….

" I thought they were only a myth!" she exclaimed, her gaze sweeping over him questioningly.

" Well… they look pretty real to me…" he answered with a chuckle, finding her reaction illegally sweet. " King Nebuchadnezzar built them for his wife."

" Amytis?"

" Yeah… She has him pretty hooked; the wimp doesn't deny her anything on the face of the earth " he said, only to silently laugh at the awareness that he was slowly but surely heading down the same road with his Chosen . " …So when she began crying over the fact that she was missing her homeland, he decided to build her …this…." he said, gazing around them.

" He must be really in love…." Xena whispered thoughtfully, without looking at him, and the God instantly detected that hint of sadness in her voice.

" I had no clue your idea of love is measured in gardens and palaces…..But if that's what it takes to impress you, Honey, just let me know, and I will place all the world's richness at your feet." he replied, gently tucking a dark, silky strand behind her ear, wondering if she was really that naïve as to fall for something like that.

"It's not what I meant…"she clarified, arching a sharp eyebrow at his subtle reproach. She must have really gotten to him " And plus, why would you even do that?" she cunningly challenged, her eyes holding a faint, curious smile as she said it.

It was not as if the War God was the man to back down from a challenge regardless of how veiled. Consequently, he immediately accepted it, and, taking one step closer to her- enough for him to feel her beating heart against his chest, he lovingly caressed her cheek before giving her the closest answer to what she actually wanted to hear.

" You're my Warrior Princess…..**my star employee**…It is vital to keep you satisfied….." he said under his breath, the corners of his lips twitching with amusement at the dramatic whirl of mixed up feelings his statement had thrown her into ….

She tried not to appear hurt by his answer but partly failed when a shade of bitterness darkened her beryl moons….._**My star employee**_….his words echoed inside her head like a broken bell, and as much as she struggled to keep that smile plastered over her lips, she failed miserably when she realized that between a _**worthless slut **_and a _**star employee, **there_ wasn't really any notable difference…..Her heart tightened at the awareness.

Eyes glowing while watching her inner fight with her own thoughts, the God decided that despite the fact that he loved playing with her like that, creating situations just to anticipate how she would react, the last thing he wanted was for her the get to wrong idea about his intentions…She did mean the world to him, and even if he had never said it out loud- he could barely digest the idea himself- she got him wrapped around her little finger.

"Don't sweat over it…..It's not what I meant…" he teased, using her own words to do it, cupping her chin with one hand and leaning down to place a chaste kiss on her already slightly parted lips. " So uh…just how hungry are you….? " he murmured , without pulling back an inch from her face, his entire body tensing with the desire building inside him when his other hand began roaming up and down her bare back, the delicious feel of her velvet like skin sending waves after waves of sensations rippling through his every cell….

"Very….." she answered, cleverly brushing her fingers through his hair before she let out a small chuckle, very similar to his own. So...he wanted to play...she could do that... "... Why? Were you planning on feeding me flowers, War God?"

" No…that's not exactly what I had in mind…." he jokingly replied, sweeping her up into his arms and effortlessly carrying her down the stairs towards the center of the gardens…..

" What are you doing? Put me down!" she ordered, as they encountered the first couples walking lazily down the labyrinthine alleys. She hated being in the spotlights and that was precisely what he was doing...

He just gave her an amused glance, placing another kiss- a more passionate one this time on her lips- and walked a few yards more, as if completely ignoring her demand before he allowed her feet to touch the ground again. She nervously smoothed her dress, rolling her eyes both at him and at all the people who now had a new gossip to rant about.

Without wasting any more time, Ares snaked a possessive hand around her and, pulling her closer, they started heading in the direction of the imposing ziggurat dominating the landscape.

"Where are we going?" she restlessly inquired, still working hard at reading him.

" Well….I thought you said you wanted to eat right…..? And given that flowers are beneath your royal preferences…" he remarked with a merry laugh that only made her shake her head in amusement as well.

"Go on…."

" I'm taking you out -my dear Warrior Princess- to a very special dinner."

" Special, huh?" he questioned, gazing at him in disbelief….What was he up to?

As soon as they were in front of the gates, her heart skipped a beat.

" What is this place?"

" Well…Amytis' palace of course. "

" Are we going to have dinner with **the Queen**?"

"And the** King. **" he casually added as if he were talking about the weather.

" Wait, wait wait! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"….And spoil the surprise?!...No…..this look on your face is worth all the dinars in the world."

" Ares!"

" What? They have the best cooks in this part of the world,….Trust me, your stomach will thank me, later."

" Do you want me to go in there dressed like** this**?" she lashed at him, suddenly overly self- conscious about just how exposed her form was.

" You look absolutely stunning. The King is about to fall in love again. Who knows? Maybe he will build you some gardens as well." he laughed. She was adorable when she was insecure. Imagine that…..a woman to rival in beauty any mortal or goddess who had ever walked the earth, feeling insecure about her appearance….The thought itself made him wonder if she had ever taken the time to closely study herself in front of a full length mirror.

" Very funny!" she retorted, spitefully slapping his chest. " Seriously, Ares, you need to do something about this….." she insisted pointing at her almost bare breasts.

" I thought you'd never ask…." he simply replied, sliding a hand under the soft fabric that was barely covering her and anxiously flicking his thumb over her nipples.

" Ares!" she exclaimed, and this time, her tone told him that it was high time he stopped fooling around.

" Ok…..ok….. Colour, length, fabric?"

" Dark blue, long, silk…."

Within a blink, her statuesque form was covered in the most breathtaking navy blue evening gown she had ever seen, the floral beaded corset and the mermaid cut making her look even sexier than before, despite its apparently simple design.

" You are definitely getting those gardens tonight….." he made sure to mention, tilting his head lightly and biting his lower lip as he scanned her from head to toe. " Every man in that room will fantasize about undressing you..."

"You have been plotting this the whole time, haven't you?" she asked, her hands snaking around his neck for a few precious seconds…Despite herself, she couldn't help loving the fire burning in his eyes every time he looked at her.

"There's always a plot…You look absolutely ravishing anyway..." he said, inviting her to walk through the gate.

"Wait!" she nervously added again. " What should I do...when I meet them? Should I bow or something?" she asked, panic in her voice.

" To bow?! To whom?" he asked, as if failing to understand her question.

"To the King and Queen..."

" Princess...you are the Chosen of War...**my** Chosen...You bow to no one. On the contrary, they will be the ones to bow to you..."

"To me?! she incredulously exclaimed, snorting at the scenario. " Why in Zeus' name would they do that?!"

His answer was cold and his voice steely but the fire burning in his eyes was hard not to notice.

"Because they know what's good for them..."

With that, they headed for the throne room.

**XXX **

On the other side of the globe, in a cheaply looking tavern, disguised as a poor fisherman, Theodorus was letting a bunch of villagers know what his opinion about Xena was.

" I'm telling you there is no reason for you to fear her. She's just a meaningless slut that knows nothing about war and warfare….the God of War is the one temporarily supporting her given that she's his main distraction ….But that won't last long….The moment he has had his fill with her, he'll drop her like a nasty habit….."

"You said it yourself, fisherman, slut or not, she has the War God protecting her….And we're no fools….Going up against an Olympian God would mean our doom!"

" You don't even need to face him, people of Dion, you just have to cut the head of the snake- that is if you give a damn about your life, you know?"

" What do you mean?" one of the peasants inquired, suddenly interested in the idea.

" An swift, poisoned arrow to the heart and all your problems will end there…."

There was silence for a few moments, and Theodorus could tell just how much impact his words had managed to have on them.

"What about Ares?" another one asked, fear present in his eyes….

"Ares? …." he paused before the most ironic grin twisted his lips. " Ares will just have to find himself another whore. But you and your families will be safe…You won't be living the drama of seeing your wives and children burned alive like I did…"


	4. Green-eyed monster

As they walked through the long corridor-supposedly- leading to the throne room, they were gradually surrounded by the alluring, oriental sounds of an incredibly enticing melody, laughter and chatter along with the clinking of glasses, completing the rest of the background.

" Looks like we've caught them at a bad time…" Xena uttered when, a luxurious, vividly colored room, full of scantily clad women and men appeared into view.

" Quite the opposite I'd say…..A party is just what you need to unwind after today's bloodbath…." he contradicted, tightening the grip around her waist as a half drunk- but utterly sexy, muscular hunk- tried to snatch her away from him. A murderous enough stare to scare even Achilles himself was enough though to convince him that it was better to move along and fast.

Without paying too much attention to the incident- the place was packed with barely standing men and women anyway- Xena's gaze wandered restlessly through the room, as if looking for someone in particular. This time, she didn't really seem to care much about the overly sophisticated décor- as if the spacious walled garden like room, abundant in palm trees and a stunning array of golden statues depicting various deities riding eagles and weird looking horses didn't manage to make an impression.

"So? What do you think?" Ares finally asked- grabbing two cups of crimson wine from one of the servants walking around completely naked- holding a silver trey on which only the finest of drinks could be found- and handing one to his Chosen.

" Hmmm?" she absently replied, her mind obviously elsewhere.

" About the place...?" he pointed out, arching an eyebrow at the realization that something was unmistakably troubling her.

" It's not precisely the ideal location for a relaxing dinner, but it should do…." she muttered, grabbing a few figs from a richly adorned buffet table.

" We can always leave , if you don't like it, Sweetheart..." he made sure to let her know, gently caressing her check with the back of his hand, searching her eyes for a clear sign of discontent. " There are a million places where I could take you to…" he continued, but before she parted her lips to answer, she was suddenly taken aback by the unearthly beauty of a slender redhead woman, who had playfully covered the War God's eyes with her creamy, snowy white hands.

" Amytis…!" the God exclaimed, cracking a smile that gradually lit up his entire face, making the Warrior Princess instantly frown at his reaction. " Long time no see…" his voice trailed off, delicately pushing her hands aside, and turning around to greet her.

" Too long, I'd say….." she answered, her forest green moons beaming with joy, but Xena couldn't help noticing - apart from the obvious happiness- the barely restrained lust gleaming on their crystal surface of her irides as his own gaze ran up and down her luscious body for a fraction of a second.

The next thing the Warrior Princess knew, the woman's arms were possessively snaked around the God's neck and her tongue was slipping shamelessly between his parted lips, calming his mouth in what soon turned into such a fiery, uninhibited kiss, that most of the heads in the room turned in their direction to watch them.

….It was a sight to see indeed…..Too bad though that the majority of people failed to notice the fact that the real, worth watching spectacle, was not the one offered by Ares and Amytis , but rather the one that was exceptionally unfolding on Xena's face. The dark haired Warrior's every nerve was stretched taut at the unexpected sight she had before her; even the last of her blood cells boiling with a jealousy that she had never suspected she had within her.

Truth be told, up to that point, she had never ever craved so much ripping somebody apart limb by limb as she did that very minute…..The sight of that gorgeous woman hungrily kissing Ares-** her** Ares- had woken a consuming fury inside her, one that she could now sense wildly kicking inside her balled up fists, threatening to unleash itself in its most destructive form possible.

A few tormenting- seemingly endless-seconds later, the War God pushed the Queen gently away from him, and, fully ignoring his frustrated heart – that was now slamming maddeningly against his ribcage- he made an effort to compose himself and gave her an apologetic glance before he cleared his throat to speak...

" Amytis….I'd like you to meet my Chosen, Xena….." he huskily articulated, finally letting go of her shoulders, and taking a step back so that he was now by his Princess' side again, and, without looking at her, he just took her tense hand in his and brought it to his lips, planting a light kiss on her knuckles.

" Oh…! " the Queen immediately replied, her eyes widening with fake surprise. " I had no idea you were...**accompanied** tonight. I 'm sorry, I meant no offense…" she politely apologized, but her snake like eyes told an entirely different story.

Hearing her words, the Warrior just smiled back, returning an equally false smile that appeared to remain plastered on her face longer than necessary.

" To what do we owe this…**.unexpected** pleasure?" she courteously asked, trying not to stare too much at the ravishing dark haired woman her lover had brought along, in her turn taking a goblet of wine from one of the slaves. She emptied it just as fast, much to Xena's undisguised amusement.

" We had a pretty…**busy** week. " Ares explained, finally casting a furtive glance at his Chosen, who looked as if she were seconds away from hitting him in the head with something. " …and well….your gardens are the perfect place to relax…..Plus, I also wanted to introduce my Princess to some very dear friends. I haven't seen Nabucco around though…" he ended, pulling Xena a bit closer, taking a mental note at just how rigid her body had become. She was obviously pissed off - not that he could actually blame her for it though, she had every reason in the world to be.

The Queen couldn't help a half smirk at his gesture. In response, she took another step back, subtly distancing herself from the couple under the pretext of searching for some grapes on the table…..Xena furrowed a contemptuous brow of course at the incredibly sexy silhouette bending slightly over the table to reach for the fruit she wanted.

" You know the King…" she replied meanwhile, in a rather melodious voice that held neither anguish, nor resentment . " …..Probably fucking some hot slave girl somewhere. He should be back shortly though, he's been gone for quite some time…"

Another shock for the Warrior Princess...Was she for real?!

"Doesn't it bother you?!" she involuntarily broke out on the most scandalized tone she was capable of, just to bite her lips hard the instant the words left her mouth.

" What? That he's screwing any living and breathing thing at the palace? He's **the King** Darling, he can do whatever he likes. "

" And you're **the Queen**…." Ares mentioned, taking a long sip of wine, and the Warrior Princess could have sworn that the notes in his voice had become suddenly deeper and darker….She knew that tone….she knew it very well, and the fact that he was using it with another woman only made the flames now cremating her on the inside grow even more intense...Their interaction was driving her insane. She literally had to clench her teeth in anger at her response.

" Yes , I am…." the redhead answered, chuckling softly and seductively licking her lips before she placed a sweet date this time in her mouth, trying to appear as innocent as possible.

While Xena rolled her eyes at the gesture, finding it utterly cheap and theatrical, Ares though seemed to have a slightly different opinion on the matter, his wanton, burning gaze following the Queen around with a rather vivid interest.

" Have you shown Xena the gardens, Ares?" she inquired, and much to the Warrior Princess' dismay, she discovered that this creature was indeed picture perfect. Everything , from her physical appearance to the way in which she had uttered the God's name was flawless….And her enthralling, metallic voice was just….unbearably hot….

" Partly…..Maybe we'll get the chance to enjoy them again later tonight. " he replied, and for some reason, Xena couldn't really tell if he was speaking about them together or about him and the accursed Queen.

" The Alley of the Roses is absolutely breathtaking under the moonlight. You just have to see it…" she casually said, her gaze now locking with Xena's. " And the pavilion on the lake…..pure magic…Unforgettable things can happen there if the mood is right….." she added, her slightly ironic smile along with the faint glint in her eyes cleverly letting the Warrior Princess know that she and Ares had shared some very intimates moments there….

A new pang of jealousy took over the Chosen of War as she heard the God taking in a deep breath as if trying to control some barely suppressed urge, and as as a servant came over to inform Amytis about something, he appeared even more focused on her body than ever…..And that's when it hit her…. the Bastard was actually using this woman to make her jealous…..This had been his brilliant plan all along...


	5. One Queen

**OK, SO JUST THAT YOU DON'T STONE THE WRITER TO DEATH OR UNJUSTLY BURN HER AT THE STAKE- HERE IT IS...YOU CAN ALL SLEEP TIGHT TONIGHT:))...( DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ THOUGH :))**

" Well I'll be damned! Look who's here!" right out of nowhere the King exclaimed, pulling the God in a warm, fraternal hug and rudely slapping his wife's ass on his way to the Greek couple.

" Nabucco! " Ares answered merrily, patting his old friend on the back, and Xena couldn't help thinking that only rarely had she seen the War God so….human…..

" And who is this _**outrageously sexy **__**gift**_ from the Gods above?" he wanted to know, cupping Xena's chin and using his thumb to trace the contour of her lips.

The very following second though, his hand was being violently pushed aside, by a visibly fuming Warrior Princess.

"This my dear friend, is Xena of Amphipolis…"

" Your **new favorite toy**…" the King added, biting his lips lustfully at what he could already guess he was never going to have.

" **My Chosen**. And yes, she is **off limits**. You can look but you **can't** touch. Got it, King?" he teasingly threatened, the steel in his gaze subtly letting him know that he wasn't kidding.

" You mean no changing partners tonight?! " Nabucco asked, feigning disappointment. " Damn! I'm sure my wife was just dying to have your cock buried deep inside her tonight….." he added, much to Xena's surprise and to both Ares and the Queen's amusement.

" I'm afraid you'll have to learn to satisfy her all by yourself….." the War God playfully bit, arching an eyebrow at the illegally sexy redhead that was looking at him as if she were planning to undress him the very following second and fuck his brains out right then and there on that buffet table.

" So …why don't we take a sit and give us the chance to get to know better this absolutely ravishing beauty who has managed to charm you to the point that you have decided to choose heart over matter…" the King impatiently invited, pointing towards the royal table while already grabbing his tempting wife's hand in his own, ceremoniously leading her to her place.

" We'll be right there!" Ares yelled behind him, and the handsome King, just winked in understanding. "Sweetheart….." he began once they finally had a moment alone.

" Don't you Sweetheart me! Is this why you brought me here?! To prove a point?! To boast with your ex lovers or whatever in Tartarus she still is to you?!" she cut him off, pulling her hand free from his grip.

" No…." he firmly contradicted, taking a step closer to her, but in response she just took another one back. " Look….I should have told you about her, I know…..it's just that…how was I to guess that she was going to kiss me….?! There's nothing between us …not any more…Not since you…."

" Yeah right…" she sneered, turning her back at him, ready to leave- not really sure where exactly, since Greece wasn't precisely right around the corner- but as far away from him as possible, anyway.

Not being the one to waste his time with inexpressive, cheap talk, the War God did the first thing that crossed his mind- or better said the only thing he did right when it came to their relationship….He brutally grabbed her arm- swiftly turning her around- and before his Princess could even realize what was happening, his demanding lips and the ever so addictive taste of his tongue was telling her everything that he didn't really have the guts to utter…..

" If it were her I wanted…." he whispered, breathing hard against her lips once their kiss ended, his hands still firmly tangled in her long , silky tresses. " …don't you think I would have come here alone ? "

The Warrior Princess stood there perfectly still for a few seconds, her yet doubtful gaze locked with his fiery, devouring one….As much as she wanted to, she couldn't read deceit in his eyes. The Bastard was telling her the truth- and he did have a point there, too…..He could have taken her to camp earlier that night had he wanted to fuck some red-headed Queen on the other side of the globe, and she would have never found out about it anyway….How could she… ?

" Nabucco is a good friend of mine….I'll tell you all about him one of these days…" he continued, deep inside feeling that he still had some work to do to convince her…" And Amytis…we had a blast together. It was fun while it lasted…..But then, you came along…."

"To spoil the fun? "

" _To give my life meaning" _he screamed in his head, whishing he had the guts to also say the words out loud, but still unsure whether it was a good idea to give her that amount of power over him…." To make everything a bit more challenging…" he chose to say instead, his eyes smiling at her as she chuckled softly at his reply…..She rolled her eyes, parting her lips to talk, but before the words left her mouth , his hand was already extended and he already had a line ready for her.

" I said it before, I'm saying it again now…..if you want us to leave, just tell me….We can go anywhere else on this planet…anywhere you want…Just name a place and we'll be there in a blink…." he repeated, and Xena knew that he had meant it with all his heart…

Despite the overwhelming impulse to just say yes, thus vanishing from that accursed palace, the Warrior Princess knew that such a thing would have equaled a blatant, shameful defeat…. Running with her tail between her legs from a confrontation was something that she had never done and she sure wasn't going to start now….

" It wouldn't kill me, I guess…." she finally answered, squeezing his hand, and lightly brushing the tips of her fingers against his lips, closing her eyes for a split second at the memory of his soul enslaving kiss….By the Fates, he tasted so good…..Against her better judgment, there were times in which her heart truly thought that she could spend the rest of her life in his arms, slowly losing herself in his captivating darkness - she silently mused, gulping nosily as she felt him gently pushing her hand aside, thus giving him full access to her mouth…In spite of her expectations, he didn't kiss her though…Instead, his free hand entwined in her hair again, and, without a word, he pulled her slightly towards him so that their lips were brushing now, not even half an inch left between them…..

" No, it wouldn't…quite the opposite. And who knows, maybe you'll even get to learn a few things if you are willing enough….Babylon is a very…..**interesting** city…." he added after awhile, his hand now gliding down the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine, making her involuntarily arch into him….

"**Interesting**, you say?" she questioned, doing even the impossible to control the erratic beating of her treacherous heart, fighting hard to suppress the irritating sound of blood pumping into her ears. .

" **Fascinating**…" he continued, entranced by the sight of her mesmerizing blue moons and even more by that unveiled desire glistening on their watery surface..

Almost on their own, as if forgetting for a moment where they were, his fingers clasped brutally around her neck, and, digging mercilessly into her soft delicate skin, he slammed her against the wall behind her with a loud thud…..Let's just say that if she had thought his kiss with the Queen had been the ultimate incarnation of passion, she was proved to be dead wrong….She had no idea when and how they had gotten to that precise side of the room, and it really didn't matter anyway, since the only thing she could really focus on, was that tight, pleasurable knot in her stomach and the distinct feeling that her entire body had been set on fire the instant he crushed her with his weight, kissing her as if there was no tomorrow, driving her absolutely crazy every time his hand glided up or down her body, and for an instant she just had to wonder whether she was still wearing any clothes or not…..

" Aresss…." she somehow found it in her to moan the moment she began to feel his hands pushing anxiously the soft fabric of her dress aside and sliding up between her thighs, trying to get his attention, and she sure did, but in a completely different way, cause the next thing she knew, he was pinning her hands above her head and, from there on, it wasn't hard to guess where they were going… " Ares stop it….." she breathed out sharply this time, fighting with her overly decent brain that kept reminding her about their whereabouts….." We shouldn't keep them waiting too much…" she casually mentioned, struggling to regain her breath. " …the King and **your** **beloved Queen**…" she acidly bit, a low hit, definitely below the belt- that instantly painted a frown on the God's perfectly chiseled face.

" I only have one Queen, my dear….and it is not Amythis…." he immediately responded, winking at her despite her irritating remark…

" Do you, now?" she jokingly questioned, straightening her dress and swiftly brushing her hands through her hair, wanting to look at least presentable for when they reached the royal table.

" Yeah….any decent man who respects himself does."

This time she couldn't restrain her laughter.

"Nabucco sure seems to respect himself…and he only has one Queen, by the way."

"You're a hard woman to please, aren't you?" he enquired, arching an eyebrow at her.

" You have no idea, War God…You have no idea….." she responded, proud that her irony had hit a soft spot.

" That's good…..cause there's nothing I hate more than ordinary, platonic relationships." he let her know, instantly wiping that smart smirk off her face.


	6. Part of the game

**DEEP BREATH...YOU CAN DO IT :)) **

As they were heading towards the royal table, it was quite obvious that the Warrior Princess was in a slightly better mood than she had been minutes before- despite the fact that the soul racking image of the War God and Amytis kissing was as present in her mind as the air in her lungs- In a heroic effort to save what was left untouched of her heart, she decided to drop it for now though. Plus, she wasn't about to let that little incident ruin her evening, after all it wasn't as if she had no idea who she was dealing with.

Ever since their relationship had started, two things had quickly become as clear as daylight for her. The first was that she was going to have to exploit the weakness that Ares unexplainably seemed to have for her every time she had the chance, without missing one opportunity to do so, and the second was that for nothing in this world was she supposed to invest any kind of feelings in their so called romance. The God's reputation preceded him and let's just say that she had heard everything about his tumultuous sex life…Every little gossip, every spicy rumor, every affair, no matter how insignificant, she knew them all….

The handsome Olympian was said to be the kind of playboy who lived to fuck anything that had a hole- dead or alive , human or animal, without really giving a damn about his overall image. Consequently, she was well aware of what she was getting herself into when she agreed to become his Chosen and plus, the God himself had made it clear for her on various occasions that sentimental attachment to anyone or anything was a major flaw in their line of work, especially for a Warrior aspiring to perfect the art of conquest….She could only assume he had included them in that category as well, but still, one thing had always puzzled her….He had never talked to her about any of the women he dated- she had never asked, that was also true, but neither had she seen him in any compromising situations with …. anyone.

…..In other words, despite his little warning, her womanly pride was still in once piece. Quite surprisingly, she had never felt the need to mark her territory when it came to him…..And now suddenly, here he was, thoroughly kissed by that physically perfect, hot redhead Babylonian Queen- a situation that to her amazement had turned her soul to ashes in less than a blink- and, what she found to be even more staggering, right out of nowhere, here he was explaining himself to her, doing his best to convince her that Amytis was part of his past and had nothing to do with his present ….Why on earth would the Bastard do such thing?

" Are you ok?" his husky voice snapped her out of her musings, his wondering- slightly concerned- gaze locked in a mesmerizing grip with hers.

" Yeah, I'm fine…." she muttered, trying to look as if she meant it.

A few more steps and they were finally at the table, and for the second or third time that night, the Warrior Princess was shocked by what was going on there…..The King was casually sucking on a pretty brunette's nipple- one hand busy massaging her ass while his fingers were pumping frantically inside her creamy, squishing pussy . All this time, the Queen was chatting and laughing merrily with some friend as if nothing notable was happening, paying little or no attention to the absolutely grotesque live show taking place just an arm's length away from her.

" This is normality here…" Ares murmured against his Princess' ear, courteously inviting her to take a sit on one of the beautifully embroidered pillows used instead of chairs.

" Ares! Finally! I thought the party was going to end in your absence. " Nabucco made sure to remark as soon as the God had made himself comfortable by Xena's side, signaling to the girl who had just climaxed on his fingers to start sucking his cock- which she began doing with a distinct animalistic hunger gleaming in her eyes.

" The party has barely started, you dumbwit!" Ares jokingly replied, bursting into laughter as the King began to spill wine on the brunette's ass cheeks and to passionately lick it from there.

At the God's reaction- probably reading the lust in his eyes- Nabuuco immediately gestured to one of the gorgeous slaves standing slightly behind them to take care of his honorable guest.

In no time, an equally fine looking, fully naked brunette kneeled submissively in front of the God and began caressing his chest. Ares' firmly raised hand put a halt to her sensual ministrations nonetheless, an unusual reaction that didn't go unnoticed, not even by the Queen.

" My , my, Ares. I would have never believed to live to see this day…" she made sure to utter before she gave her blond friend a long, arousing kiss that made Xena briefly wonder if it was her or these people who had lost all trace of sanity…..

" Yeah, Bro' " Nabucco added, smiling widely- probably because of that ever so pleasing tension in his balls as his cock began to swell more and more inside the woman's mouth. " Bluntly saying no to a good fuck is so unlike you….. What have you been doing to him, dear Xena?" he added with a laugh, making sure to stare at the Warrior Princess long enough to let her know that he was actually waiting for an answer.

" Maybe she's too good of a fuck herself and he doesn't need anyone else anymore….." the Queen suggested, arching a sharp eyebrow at this newly articulated idea.

Before either Ares or Xena had the time to react, the King made sure to offer his wife an answer.

" Don't make me laugh! How good can she be?! " he said, groaning. " Still if that's true, it would be a crime against humanity to keep such treasure only to yourself. Tartarus, let others enjoy her as well! Where's the fun in fucking a woman alone?!" he exclaimed on a half amused half scandalized tone, throwing his head back as he rhythmically pressed the slave's head faster and faster up and down, pushing his cock deeper and deeper in her throat each time.. Soon, his body became rigid, balls twitched and with a grunt he exploded, spewing a torrent of hot jizz in her mouth, an expression of pure satisfaction enrgaved on his face ….

Within a second, despite the overall good mood and the humorous tone of the conversation, the War God's expression changed as fast as the direction of the wind…..His face suddenly became an impenetrable mask and his eyes cold, glassy and devoid of emotion.

"Nabucco…we might be friends and all, but if I ever hear you talk like that about my Chosen again, I'll cut off your dick and force it down your slutty wife's throat. "

A few uncomfortable seconds of deep utter silence followed, only the dying accords of a romantic, oriental song being still heard on the background and for a moment there, the Warrior Princess genuinely thought the God was about to jump over the table and skin the King alive, when, right out of nowhere, the royal couple burst into laughter, thus shocking her even more.

As she cast a glance at Ares, she noticed that his anger had vanished and his features had softened a bit.

" Damn, you're really hooked aren't you?" the Queen asked, winking at him. "I'll drink to that…Eternal love…"

" Stop teasing Amytis…" the King warned- on the same jocular tone as before, but still, there was a lot of truth in his words. " He meant it. …"

" Ok, ok…..men can be overly sensitive and territorial when there's a new cunt in town….No offense, Darling…..here in Babylon this is considered quite a decent compliment."

"It's a good thing I don't live in Babylon then…" the Warrior Princess half growled, glaring daggers at her.

" Xena…" the King called…." Why don't you sit by my side for awhile? I've heard you're a brilliant strategist, I'd love to hear your opinion on a few matters…" he asked, appearing as serious about it as possible.

The Warrior Princess glanced inquiringly at her patron God, and once he nodded his consent, she – still reluctantly- accepted his invitation. Hardly had she left her place though, that the Queen literally crawled her way next to Ares…In all appearances, she couldn't stand the idea of any physical distance existing between them.

At her signal, the music began playing a bit louder, thus making their conversation considerably more intimate- in other words, she didn't want the Warrior Princes to hear what she and Ares were talking about, and she certainly couldn't care less what it was that her husband had to discuss with her disturbingly attractive rival.

" So…." she began, languidly entwining her fingers with his own, under the table.

"So…." he replied, without looking at her, his gaze fixed on Xena and Nabbucco who- judging by the way their lips moved- were sharing tips on how to effectively decimate an army….

" I must say, I was surprised to see you here tonight….I thought you said we were done…" she softly whispered against his ear, her hot breath on his neck, sending the God's immortal blood in a maddening race down his veins, pounding through his shaft and making it twitch slightly.

"We are …" he murmured back, turning his head to look her in the eyes, their lips almost brushing in the process.

" Are we?" she lowly inquired, freeing her hand from his grasp and moving it teasingly slow up his crotch. He was as hard as she had suspected him to be, and that only got her impossibly wet in but a matter of seconds.

" Yes we are…." he repeated, closing his eyes for a split second as she began tracing her fingers torturously slow up and down his full length.

" Too bad…I've been having these wild fantasies about sucking you dry these past few hours….." she said, explicitly licking her lips, making Ares gulp nosily at the sight….

" As I said…..your husband and all the rest of your male subjects should do for tonight….."

"It's not the same.." she teased, applying a bit more pressure as she kept rubbing him through his leather pants….." We both know that…They're not you….and she's not me…" the words left her lips, sweet poison that made the Good clench his teeth at a very tempting string of memories now invading his mind….She was indeed incredible in bed…and the things she could do with her mouth…..almost too good to be true…

" Trust me, the last thing I need, is another **you** in my life….You're crazy. "

She just laughed at his insinuation, on the same enslaving melody the sound of which could make right about anyone fall instantly in love with her.

"But you like it…."

" I used to….."

" Need I understand that you're still mad at me, my God? " she sexily inquired, and for a split second, that absolutely bewitching tone of her voice paralyzed Ares' will to the point that, when she slid her hand into his pants, and wrapped her fingers around his engorged, painfully pulsating cock, he barely objected to it….."If that's the case….let me make it up to you….I'm sure I can find a way to please you and to make you forget what happened….."

"I'm sure you could find at least a million ways to do that….." he mentioned, losing himself to her caresses for a few more seconds….Gods she knew exactly when and where to touch him…."But no…." he abruptly decided, removing her hand from his pants and placing it in her lap.

" I know how much you want this…..And you know just how wet you got me only by being as hard as you are now….."

"Between wanting to do something and actually doing it, there's a huge, huge difference, darling…" he sharply answered, biting his lip in frustration at her intoxicating nearness.

" If this is about Xena…..you don't need to worry about her….it seems like Nabucco should be able to keep her busy enough for the rest of the night….and for a few more days as well if that's what you wish….." she replied, casting a brief glance in her husband's direction who was now gently caressing the Warrior Princess' left breast- which was now in full view, his partner being already almost completely naked from waist up, their deep, extremely intense kiss putting completely into the shade whatever Ares and Amythis had been doing earlier that night.

In the crucial moments that followed, the War God rapidly considered his options….He could fry the King, he could stab him with a fork…or a knife- but where was the fun in that, it was way too classic – he could smash his head against a column, he could wipe the floor with him….or he could let him have his way with his Chosen while he had his share of fun with the Queen…The only thing wrong with that picture- as enticing as it might have sounded though- was the fact that for some stupid reason that he just couldn't get himself to understand, he couldn't stand the thought of another man touching his Princess- his **property** to be more accurate….The sight of them turned on like that felt like sand or salt to his eyes…..Needless to say, that barely controlled urge to make something explode was only making him feel even more tense….

" Why don't you let me help you relieve that tension….? " the hot redhead cleverly suggested, finally freeing his spasming cock from his pants, and gracefully bending to do as promised….

Before her lips got to touch it though, he brutally grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up, making sure to look her in the eyes as he spoke.

" Can't you take a hint, Amytis? Not tonight…"

A few seconds later- in a desperate attempt to annihilate his murderous intents- he began to patiently sip some wine from a silver goblet while apparently enjoying to some extent the show offered by his Princess and the King.

" Circular moves….that's how she likes it….." he told his friend the moment he noticed that his eager hand had started to glide from her breast towards her thighs, glaring menacingly at him when their gazes finally clashed.

" No need to be jealous…." the King casually answered, without actually stopping what he was doing, much to the War God's irritation. " You have my wife to keep you company….."

" I don't want your wife. " he bluntly retorted, placing calmly the goblet on the table.

" That's new. As I recall, you two could barely spend five minutes in the same room without fucking each other's brains out. "

" Things change. People change…." he replied, this time in a steely enough voice to cut even through Xena's slashing, accusing, glare.

" That's strange. " Amytis intervened, her tone sounding surprisingly unaffected given the nature of their conversation. " I thought it was you the one who said that people never change, only the circumstances that** force** them to act one way or the other…."she said, offering them all a bright, starlet like smile.

" Don't ever believe the words of a drunk man . " the God answered in the same serious, cutting voice, a light touch on the Warrior Princess' shoulder making her dress do a proper job again in covering her, thus keeping her body away from probing eyes.

" Are you quoting me?" the King asked with a laugh, suddenly amused by the whole situation.

" I guess I am ….You usually speak words of wisdom while you're stoned. "

" Quite a paradox huh?! I even fuck better than when I'm sober!"

At this, all three of them started laughing again as if nothing had happened, as if the entire conversation wasn't unpleasant enough as to make them not to want to see each other for the rest of their lives.

" I hope you can stay for the weekend, Ares…" Amytis concluded, making sure to appear as if she were addressing the Warrior Princess as well. " The Festival of Ishtar starts tomorrow….It will be fun having you around again…"

" I'm sure it will…" Xena bit, looking as if she were ready to slap the Queen silly.

" Of course we're staying. I've also missed your company . "

" That's great news Bro'!" Nabucco, exclaimed, pulling his friend, in a tight, fraternal hug. " It' ll be like old times…..Well…almost….." he corrected, giving Xena a small, formal smile.

" Well….we should call it a night.…My Princess is tired." he said, without actually casting an eye in Xena's direction though- still too angry by what he had witnessed minutes before.

" I'm sure she is….It's been a long day…." Amytis replied, a tidal wave of jealousy washing over her , at the awareness that Ares was indubitably going to fuck this woman all night long- just like she knew he used to do with her….By all Gods of Babylon, she wanted him so much!

" You can have any room in the palace. Make yourselves at home." the King invited, gesturing to one of the slave girls to accompany their guests.

As soon as they were out of sight, Amytis placed a sweet kiss on her husband's lips…..

"What was that all bout?! "she inquired, somewhat puzzled by the War God's behavior.

" I have no idea but hey, what Ares wants , Ares gets…."

" Do you think he actually has feelings for her?"

A soft chuckle later, and the King was already working at undressing his wife, right there in front of everyone still present at the party , not the least bothered by the fact that most eyes in the room were now enjoying the free show. Laying her on one of the tables, the King wasted no time with foreplay – she was soaking wet anyway- and with a rough, barbaric move, he slid his cock inside her. With slow, teasingly slow moves at first- just like he knew she liked it- he began to fuck her.

"**Ares** and **feelings **don't really go well together, my dear…It's like trying to mix oil and water…."

" He didn't let her out of his sight for a second while she was with you….." she barked through gritted teeth, moaning loudly as he pushed himself deeper inside her. At his signal, one of the salves began caressing her breasts while his skilled fingers started playing with her clit…..

" It's just a phase….A little boy with a shining new toy…It will pass once he gets bored with her….It's all part of the game."

" Once he's fucked her enough, you mean…"

" Yeah….that's exactly what I mean. ….But for the moment, let us focus on me banging the shit out of you….." he answered, increasing his pace, making her pant and moan louder and louder with every new thrust…It didn't last long until her lust-crazed body got closer and closer to the mind- blowing orgasm she had been looking for…When it finally came, she closed her eyes shut and thought about a certain War God that she would have liked to have her spread obscenely like that…..Soon, wave after wave of ecstasy was flooding through her deliriously quivering body, sending her every nerve in a magical journey that had nothing to do with planet Earth….And yet, her mind…her mind was still elsewhere…

**HERE WE GO...IT WASN'T SO BAD , WAS IT?:)) **


	7. Irreplacable

In a hard to bare, crushing silence, the Warrior Princess and the War God followed Nabucco's slave up a ridiculously long, spiral flight of stairs and then down some impossible to remember corridors and passages, neither one thinking for at least one fraction of a second about searching for the other's gaze, definitely still too mad to say something and probably aware that given the still mounting tension between them, one single glance would have been more than enough to unleash an avalanche of curses meant to release their frustration, naturally spiced with a few strategically applied blows that would have certainly led- judging by the War God's tightly pressed lips - to broken hands and legs- in Xena's case of course, as they both knew it….

At the same time, regardless of the amount of frustration their hearts had gathered, they were both sober enough to realise that they couldn't possibly display their feelings as openly as their troubled spirits desperately demanded them to. Allowing the other to see just how much they were hurting inside, how vulnerable and fragile they were, was pretty much out of the question, since it represented the ultimate weakness- an unpardonable error that would have indisputably given one of them a precious leverage over the other- and recklessly risking their position like that was something neither of them could afford…

As they entered the room they were supposed to share for the night, Ares casually snapped his fingers, thus making four torches light up, instantly engulfing that sea of darkness in a warm, soft, golden glow, and despite the dreadful savagery still present in her eyes, Xena couldn't hold back the small, childish gasp of surprise that escaped her lips the moment she noticed that the unusually high walls of the chamber were actually completely covered in outstandingly massive mirrors, giving the place a breathtaking effect….There was indeed no comparison to anything she had seen before….

" Quite impressive huh?" the God casually asked, without seeming as fascinated as she was by the superbly decorated place, and given his reaction, the Warrior Princess couldn't help wondering if he had been there before- and most importantly with whom…? Was it with the Queen or with some other woman…**.women**….?

"More like bizarre….who would like to sleep in such a room ?" she retorted , arching an eyebrow at him, their eyes finally meeting, his harsh gaze spearing hers- his face refusing to flinch one muscle at the pure rage spitting back….It did seem though that he was a bit more furious and frustrated than she was….

"Let's just say that a good night's rest wasn't precisely what they had in mind when they designed this room….One could do a million other things in here though, and that bed wouldn't even be necessary …" he remarked, narrowing his eyes at the wild thoughts that started whirling restlessly inside his head as she began to take off her earrings. He was angry with her**-very, very** angry- and that was something he had to keep in mind no matter what, he vainly tried to remind himself while his erratic brain preferred to focus more and more on the overly sensual way in which her hands moved as they went up to her ear, the arousing laziness in which her head tilted to the side while her skillful fingers worked at unclasping a tear shaped sapphire earring.. ….the graceful way her silky tresses danced from the middle of her back to her right shoulder as she did that, the inviting way in which her waist curved slightly to the left, arching subtly towards him.. …

Pretending that she had failed to detect the lust reverberating from his voice as he spoke, Xena decided to ignore the God's comment, forcing instead every neuron in her brain to cling to the still painfully vivid memory of him and the Queen sharing that beastly, infuriatingly passionate kiss - most likely as a cure for the temporary madness that had urged her heart to beat faster the instant she heard that subtle change in his tone as he addressed her. She might have felt dangerously attracted to him – Zeus knew his magnetizing personality left her breathless most of the time- but she was no fool…..There was no way she was ever going to allow him to control her to the extent to which the sound of his voice alone would soften even the engulfing flames of her fury….No….

Without giving her actions too much thought, her mind now overly occupied with everything that had happened that night, the Warrior Princess finally stopped her pacing in front of one of the mirror walls, and, after a short pause, she also began to unclasp the marvelous silver necklace the War God had materialized around her neck back when he had changed her dress.

It was only now that she had the chance to admire it….It was the most incredible piece of jewelry she had ever seen in her life- a stunningly beautiful silver rose with a fancy, deep grayish blue sapphire in the middle, the leaves and twigs of which were elegantly wrapped around her neck….A priceless work of art, beyond any shadow of a doubt.

" Hephaestus' latest collection…-fit for a Goddess…." he emphasized, staring a bit longer than necessary in her direction, and failing miserably this time to hide the utter fascination gleaming in his eyes …..She was dazzling, his Princess….Her every gesture, no matter how insignificant was like an amazing magic trick to him…For a brief moment as their gazes met again, there was neither spite nor anger in them….All the resentment had melted somehow, or maybe it was just an illusion- skillfully projected by the bright orange flames of the torches. . " Every eye in the room was on you tonight…." the words left his lips on their own- without bothering to wait for his approval- as his burning gaze met hers in the mirror….

" Yeah….minus yours….." she bit without hesitation, finally managing to unclasp the choker and placing it carefully on the small vanity table at her right. " You were too busy flirting with your good friend's wife to pay attention to anyone else" she added, once again haunted by the feral lust flickering in the God's eyes each time he looked at the redheaded Queen.

...That's precisely what bothered her the most in the first place ….the awareness that he was actually attracted to her, that some other woman had actually captured his attention, bewitching him to the point where he had almost failed to notice that she was half naked in some other man's arms…He obviously considered the Queen tantalizingly attractive and the implications of this new reality were eating her alive….

"If my eyes hadn't been on you all night long, my dear, I'm quite sure you would now find yourself in a slightly different company, am I right?" he skilfully contradicted, unconsciously moving closer to her.

" Well…I'm sure you wouldn't have disliked the idea too much…That way, you could have spent the rest of the night with her…." she answered, trying to appear unaffected by her own words, in spite of the fact that they left the most unpleasant, bitter taste in her moth as she articulated them.

He chuckled softly before he answered, walking unhurriedly towards her, taking his time to study her expression as he got closer and closer to her slightly shivering form….A few more steps and he was right behind her, his gaze roaming with great interest over her flawless reflection in the mirror, intrigued to discover just how disturbed she still was about his innocent flirting with Amytis…The Queen was indeed an out of this world temptation, there was no point in pretending otherwise, but he thought he had cleared everything up when he stated that he wanted nothing to do with that accursed woman anymore, that she belonged to his past and that she had no reasons what so ever to be jealous….By the nine Muses, why in Tartarus was she still upset?!

" There's only one thing wrong with that scenario…." he said- lightly caressing her arms- and judging by his tone he was slightly amused by that ludicrous thicket of jumbled thoughts that he could just tell was now growing more and more out of control in her mind .

Her body went immediately stiff at the contact, but he just couldn't help himself, he had to touch her….The almost palpable rage pulsating from her aura was drawing him like a magnet…She was irresistible, the worst of all sins….And that piercing, arctic blue gaze boring defiantly through his, that almost made him forget all about the troubling images fueling his anger….

" Oh yeah? What's that?!" she asked, their gazes never breaking.

" Well, I'm here with you, so figure it out on your own….." was all the reply she got before he placed a feather like kiss on her shoulder…." Do you need help with this?" he inquired, gently caressing her back- where the laces of her corset where tied- and, without waiting for an answer, he slowly began to unwrap them….

" You could just make it vanish with a snap of your fingers, remember?" she tried to attack, a barely audible whisper though, since her body was desperately yearning for his touch- more likely for a confirmation actually, that she was still the one who mattered the most to him- the sensations now flooding her every nerve ending as he ran his fingers down her back being a bit too much for her to handle….

" Where's the fun in that?" he asked, grinning devilishly at her, while pulling her closer to him. "Plus….I love doing this….It's like Solstice all over again…." he smugly added, wetting his lips at the sight he knew he would be soon be enjoying.

" And given that you're such a Solstice fan….." she hissed through clenched teeth, frowning both at his insinuation and at the fact that she literally had to force a gift down his throat the previous year…..

" Hey! Not fair! You…took me by surprise back then…" he complained, he too recalling the moment, smiling mysteriously at her as he finally reached the lower part of her back….Just three more crosses left...

" I thought you loved surprises…"she murmured, holding her breath as his hands stopped moving for a moment, her gaze still locked with his, secretly wishing he threw her on the large king-side bed behind them and finish what they had started at that stupid party earlier…Unavoidably, she ended cursing herself the for having dared think about it….Once again though, as if sensing the unwanted change in her aura, his soft, velvety voice, filled with dark power swept beguilingly inside her mind, a sinful caress to her soul, one that she couldn't possibly resist….

" I do…And I did appreciate your …effort, as I recall" he added, finally letting the delicate fabric fall in a puddle at her feet, thus revealing her perfectly sculpted body to him, his gaze now hopelessly glued to that mirror…

"So….uh….what is it that you like about her?" the Warrior Princess found herself asking- a question the content of which was meant to slap her back to reality.

"Huh?" he answered, too entranced to think straight any more.

"About Amythis." she clarified, arching a sharp brow at him.

" Amythis…who?" he playfully replied, his index now teasingly tracing her spine, completely enthralled with the way in which her breathing would change its rhythm with every new caress...

"Your….**old friend.**" she retorted, suddenly possessed again by that overwhelming desire to strike him, an urge that didn't go unnoticed, for every muscle in her body tensed to the point of snapping.

"Let's not go there." he wisely advised, his arm finally wrapping around her waist while his other hand pushed her hair aside, giving him better access to her neck.

" What….? It was just a question…." she defended, trying to find a justification for her immature impulsiveness. Impulse or not though, she was just dying to hear his version.

"That is never **just a question**, Xena. Making comparisons is a bad idea." he explained, in his turn trying hard to make her drop the subject.

" Why would it be a bad idea? I'm not comparing myself to anyone. I was just curious." she stubbornly insisted ….For some reason, she really wanted to know the rest of the story, cause judging by the obvious sexual tension between them, it was absolutely impossible for their relationship to have been only about fucking each other….

" It's a slippery slope…" he warned. "You might not like the answer. " he murmured lowly against her ear , lips brushing against the shell, his hot breath on her skin almost convincing her that he was indeed right….Almost, but not quite…

" What ? That's she's physically perfect? That's obvious…"

" Physically perfect?! According to what standards?" he retorted, doing his very best to stifle a laugh…He couldn't believe it. She was not only jealous, his Princess, she was also terribly insecure….

"Oh come on, Ares, I'm not blind! " she said stiffly, trying to break free from his iron like clasp.

" Neither am I, my deceitful beauty…." he answered, sweetly caressing her face despite the quite powerful elbow strike to the stomach she had used in order to get away from him, and he could only find one single reason for this primal reaction of hers…..She was hurting inside and she didn't want him to see...Consequently, she needed to put as much distance between them as possible...….

" You gotta be kidding me…" she sneered, rolling her eyes at his statement.

" What do you want me to say? She's good looking, yes ..." he commented, carefully choosing his words.

" **Good looking?! **The woman's gorgeous! "

" No. **You're gorgeous**. " he pointed out in all honesty, a compliment that the Warrior Princess dismissed a bit too quickly to his liking. .

" So...apart from the alluring physique, what else do you find attractive about her?" she stubbornly pushed, finally managing to irritate him enough as to twist his hand into giving her what he wanted….She obviously ignored the fact that truth is not the easiest thing to deal with at times…

" In short? She's fun, wild and disinhibited, she doesn't give a damn about what people think about her and …she is an incredibly good fuck. " he finally barked, visibly unnerved with her interrogatory, clicking his tongue once those last words rolled off his tongue….Maybe he should have kept the spicy details to himself….." Too much information for ya'?" he coldly asked the moment the nonchalant retort he had been expecting - one to go with his own- never came.

" Why aren't you with her then? She seems to be quite a catch."

"Like…..now?"

" Like…all the time…..As a couple….."

" Why would I want to do that? " he laughed, the idea itself being as ludicrous as it sounded. "I can have her any time I want. Needless to say, that makes everything a bit too…**.boring**. Leaving that aside though, she's good for Nabbucco." he added, on an almost melancholic, pensive tone. " ….keeps him in check most of the time.."

" I've always said that men are shallow, but I swear, they should draw your face in the dictionary next to the word….Screwing a woman a couple of times just to drop her once you've got bored with what she has to offer….? Just because she's too available?... That's sick, Ares…." she stated in disgust, only to squirm even more in his arms, indignated by his condescending attitude.

" What can I say? I do have my problems….One thing's certain though…you better find a way to keep me interested as long as possible and fast….." he let her know, with a mock serious expression that really made her want to tear him limb from limb, the Bastard!

" You do know that this theory of yours can go both ways, don't you? I might just lose interest in you one of these days and move on…." she verbally attacked instead, poisonous words that did taste like honey in her mouth nonetheless. At the same time, she somehow managed to turn around in his embrace, wanting to make sure that he understood she had meant it.

"Yeah well….let us fix that before you decide to act on those suicidal thoughts of yours ….I'd hate to have to replace you…." he playfully threatened, his hand swiftly encircling her neck, squeezing slowly at first but gradually adding enough pressure as to restrict the amount of air entering her lungs, enough to make her realize that he wasn't joking, while his other hand began a torturously slow descent down her stomach, obviously heading for her crotch…..

" That might prove to be quite a challenge…**I'm irreplaceable**….." she chose to answer, intoxicating lust mixed with latent fury in her voice.

" Listen Sweetie, just 'cause I like you and all, I'll let you in on a little secret ok? But you'll have to promise that you won't tell a soul. Do we have ourselves a deal?" he patronizingly asked while delicately brushing her clit now. " Good… Now, this might come as a shock to you, but…..**anyone can be replaced**…."

" ….You seem to be forgetting one thing…."

" What's that?"

" **I'm not just anyone**…..**" **she whispered on the dirtiest tone she could produce, distracting him enough as to knee him straight in the groin, lazily passing him by the following second, heading for the bed…

The next thing she knew though, his hand was savagely grabbing a fistful of her hair, and soon she was being brutally shoved against the cold mirror on the wall, her legs tightly snaked around his waist, while their tongues began a vicious fight with one another.

The kiss they shared blazed an invisible but will destructive path from the Warrior Princess' lips to her belly and beyond, settling between her thighs, an inferno of salacity in which everything else had ceased to exist. As he mercilessly crushed her body with his own, Ares grunted lowly at the unreleased, vibrating moans and whimpers in her throat….No matter how much she hated him this very now, she wanted this as much as he did…..

"No...you're not..." he murmured back, still feeling that she deserved a reply. " That's why you're still alive and breathing...That's what sets you apart from all the others..."


	8. Mind- blowing

**HOT OR WHAT?:))) TOO DIRTY?...LET ME KNOW:) **

From the instant her body treacherously molded against his and her lips foolishly responded to his ferociously intense kisses, the Warrior Princess knew what a bad, bad, bad idea that was….The last thing she was supposed to do after that type of discussion was to let him get away with it and give him what he wanted without the slightest restrain, as if nothing important had happened, as if his words hadn't cut as deep as he very accurately predicted they would….. Consequently, her mind kept screaming at her to stop and her brain even worked against her own free will a few times, ordering her palms to push him away from her ridiculously aroused form, but, call it irony or call it weakness, that lame attempt only ended in both her hands exploring hungrily his chiseled chest, every dip of smooth, hard muscle, every inch of that perfectly bronzed skin ….Eventually, putting an end to whatever it was they were doing- she couldn't think straight anymore, anyway- was thus out of the question.

" Stop it….." she heard herself moaning at a certain point, mindless with desire- in a voice that she could barely recognize as her own- probably when she felt his own clothes vanishing from his body, even the last trace of fabric- the only barrier that was still keeping her away from him- disintegrating from sight in but a matter of seconds…..

"You'll have to work a bit on the tone if that's what you really want…." he breathed into her ear, making her shiver and he just growled lowly at the deep, clear and unmistakable need he could detect in her voice as she unconvincingly repeated her plea…

" Not good enough….." he answered huskily and despite her demand, she buried her hands in his hair almost mechanically when he pushed her even harder against that mirror, and, as she inhaled, the distinct smell of his white musk and spices cologne along with the heat of his body, sent her heart into a frenzy of excitement. She wanted him, gods how she wanted him- with an almost rabid desperation- and though somewhere in the back of her mind the bloody battle between her reason and the lust poisoning her body was still in progress, she could tell that there was no going back from there, not with his fingers mercilessly teasing her now, caressing and stroking her clit, making her wetter and wetter for him, that ever so pleasurable friction sending her senses into a riot, making her grind unconsciously against him, longing for more .…

" Oh Gods…."she gasped- a mixture of pleasure and pain- when, without warning, with one shift of his hips he finally filled her, every little inch of her, stretched by his thick, throbbing cock and way before she got the chance to even think about it, he was already hammering relentlessly into her, hitting vigorously that magic place that drove her absolutely insane. It wasn't long until her pants gradually turned into shuddering breaths and her nails dug wildly into his back as a silent confirmation that he was on the right track….

His own moans blended with hers as he brutally cupped her ass, lifting her a bit higher, pressing his hard pubic bone even harder against her groin, adding some more maddening friction on her clit. He wanted her to enjoy this as much as he did, and judging by the force with which her inner walls were constricting around his stabbing cock- almost at an unbearable degree- he was doing a great job …He grunted as she moaned louder and louder - music to his ears, beyond a shadow of a doubt….It was just what he needed to make her forget all about that little incident with the Queen, and the right move to boost her confidence in spite of the extreme circumstances….

" Sweet Olympus, you're so damn sexy when you moan…." he murmured, his breath rasping hotly against her lips as he pushed himself even deeper inside her-as deep as he could get- even more brutally , ramming harder and harder, his pace quickening with each new thrust until she felt like she would explode from the torturous pleasure now coursing through her, and she soon left out a throaty cry as her body began shuddering with an orgasmic delight that ripped through her body like a flame until she was leaking cunt juices like a squeezed sponge, flooding his steely cock, coating it with her slick honey. In response, the War God kept pistoning inside her, his own climax blinding him with its intensity …..It was the Elysian Fields on earth...

**XXX**

A few more rounds of intense fucking and uncontrollable screaming later, our raven haired beauty was tightly encased in his arms, her head resting on his chest while they were both trying to catch their breath. Her body felt raw, aching but completely fulfilled, an indescribable satisfaction engraved on her flushed visage.

" Are you sure you are mortal? You nearly took the life outta me….! " he asked, eyeing her suspiciously, as if he actually meant it.

" Pretty sure…." she replied with a smile, as he brushed a strand of hair from her face.

" Damn….I must be getting old then….."

" I might have seen a few patches of grey here and there…." she said, letting out a bemused chuckle at the perspective, his consternated look only making everything even more funny, and as his hand finally went still on her cheek and a childish mock pout twisted his sexy lips, she affectionately kissed his palm- casting him an almost apologetic glance in return.

To almost anyone, that apparently insignificant gesture would have most likely passed unnoticed, but for the War God, it was a mind-blowing event that made his heart literally skip a beat….

"Princess….? " he finally whispered, resting his forehead against hers, and delicately kissing the tip of her nose, patiently waiting for her to reply….

"Huh?"

" Can I ask you something?..." he questioned, making sure to pause long enough for her to give him a silent acceptance. He wanted her undivided attention for what he had to say.

When he continued, his voice was considerably deeper and raspier than before, and it seemed to Xena that every note vibrated sensuality as he started talking again. He did know how to get a lady's attention, that was for sure….

Also, a keen observer would have immediately noticed just how nervous he was, how he pressed his lips together before speaking, as if afraid that he was going to say something stupid….…" I might be losing it, but tonight, I felt that something was….**different** …."

" Different…?" she asked, her pupils dilating in surprise and the blood freezing in her veins as her brain deciphered the possible meaning of his line.

" About you….**us**…" he tried to explain, only to frown, displeased when the words failed to express what he actually wanted to say…In his head they had certainly sounded better, seconds before…." Well…..behind the lust and the** possessiveness** – he articulated, wisely replacing the **jealousy **with its somewhat milder equivalent- there **was something else**, am I wrong?"

" I don't know what it was you think you felt…" she defensively rushed to retort, instantly and instinctively trying to free herself from his grip, as if fearing that the contact of their bodies alone could have betrayed her thoughts on the matter. He didn't let her budge one inch of course, and in response, he only tightened his hold on her. She wasn't going anywhere...

" Well…whatever it was….I wouldn't want to lose it…**ever**..." he stated, sweetly caressing her face once he decided that there was no point in forcing her into admitting anything….

" Then don't….." she murmured lowly, arching an eyebrow at just how unusually strange this entire conversation was getting….Was he talking about their **relationship?** They never talked about it...there was no reason what so ever in doing so….He was his patron God , she was his Chosen, he had some rights over her- or so she let him delude himself just for the advantages that she could get in return- and she had hers…..That was all there was to it, and she had made a habit into repeating it every single morning as she woke up safely encased in his strong, protective arms or late at night as she went to sleep with him by her side.

" How do I do that?" he demanded to know, in such a low voice that she could hardly hear him, as if he were telling her the biggest secret on the planet.

" I'm sure you'll find a way…."

" Teach me….." he asked her with pleading eyes, his voice almost a prayer…

When she was too speechless to answer, her troubled, cerulean moons narrowing as if looking for hidden meanings and mind games in his words, he just insisted….

" Xena, I'm serious…"

"I thought you hated **platonic and boring**…." she whispered, gazing at him in utter disbelief. This must have been some kind of sick game he was playing…It had to be …

" Honey, you could be anything but boring….."

"It's a long list….." she finally answered, deliberately trying to discourage him from whatever it was he thought he was doing.

" Whatever it takes…"

A few tormenting, long seconds passed in which the Warrior Princess fought a vicious battle with herself while trying to convince her heart that the path she was about to walk on was as dangerous and as full of thorns as a dark, Thracian forest at night…..It was useless though, for when she felt their breaths mixing and his heart hammering hard against his chest- so hard that she could actually feel it's every beat- she just couldn't help herself, regardless of the possible consequences.

"Well…let's start with the basics….Close your eyes…"she said, licking her lips at the possibilities.

"Are you gonna stab me or something?"

" Hey! War Gods are supposed to be fearless!…I had no idea that a mere mortal woman could scare the mighty son of Zeus..."

" **A mere mortal**? " he echoed with a laugh, leaning on one elbow for support while still keeping his other arm firmly wrapped around her waist. "That's the funniest thing I've heard all day."

" Keep them close. No cheating….." she warned in a grave, teacher like voice.

" I never cheat….." he pointed out , flashing her a toothy grin.

It was her turn to chuckle.

"Right. And I'm still a virgin. Don't move…."

Literally holding his breath in anticipation and mentally preparing himself for a slap, or a punch…or even worse, the War God gasped in surprise as he felt the tips of her fingers brushing delicately along his jaw line, caressing his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose as her index trailed teasingly down towards his lips. Desire rushed instantly through him again, unbidden, relentless as she lingered on his lower lip, tracing its fine contour before she swayed towards him, and placed an impossibly light kiss on the corner of his mouth.

Her own heartbeat tripped, and then gathered speed, galloping haphazardly as his tongue demanded entrance, passion slicing through his gut in a way that he was sure to be anatomically impossible, blood pounding furiously through his veins when her breasts crushed against his chest as he pulled her on top of him, clenching his hands in her hair again,making sure that she wasn't going anywhere, an almost physical ache building deep inside his loins, driving him insane with the need to feel her as close to him as humanly possible, to devour her.

…Confusion clouded his mind for a moment….by all Gods, the power she had over him was unacceptable….What in Tartarus was happening to him? Despite all the questions running though his scrambled brain now, he escaped an animalistic groan though when he heard her moan softly in his mouth…..He was bewitched by her, in a way that he couldn't possibly understand…..There was no logical explanation for whatever it was he was doing….Her tongue, still swirling and rubbing against his- a silken moist dance that sent sharp tingles up his spine and from there straight down to his shaft - the exquisite taste of her mouth combined with the distinct jasmine scent of her skin and the sound of her salacious, heavy breathing sent him into a never-ending delirium…

Before he knew it, she was straddling him, her cunt dripping and her clit pulsing and soon, she was sliding herself up and down his iron pole that was now stretching her greedily, the vision of her ultimately sexy breasts bouncing up and down as she rode him making him lose all trace of control, throwing them both in an ocean of electrifying sensations …. He was addicted to her…..

"Good gods, Princess….." he moaned some time later, once again pulling her in his arms after another ravishing orgasm that left them both damp with sweat, so powerful this time that his head still felt like it was about to explode even minutes after he burst inside her.

Even for him, this was mind- blowing….It felt divine though…


	9. I want you to love me

**I GUESS YOUR REVIEWS ARE FINALLY STARTING TO GET TO ME:))) I BEGAN WRITING THIS ONE WAY AND IT SOMEHOW TURNED INTO SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. DAMN :)) ENJOY IT WHILE IT LASTS THOUGH :) **

"I could make love with you forever…." he whispered, surprised himself at the amount of affection reverberating from his voice.

Her brows lifted immediately with wonder, not really knowing whether it was wise or not to make a smart comment about his unusual remark…

"Interesting choice of words….." she finally decided to say, flicking a glance at him- only to discover an incredibly intimate look in his eyes, one that left her seriously questioning his motifs…..Where was he trying to get at with this ….? " **Fuck **was usually a term closer to your heart….? What happened to it? "

" Don't worry…There are plenty of moments in which I want nothing more than to **fuck your brains out**….And yet, **love making **seems to have been a bit underrated…."

" For you maybe….." she chuckled, rolling her eyes at him.

" Are you laughing at your patron God, Warrior Princess?"

" It sure seems like it…" she casually answered, even more amused by his expression now, and, as some sort of playful payback for her brashness, he swiftly pulled her under him and began tickling her. Her laughter soon rang through the room, a fit of uncontrollable, girlish giggles actually that filled his heart with an unknown joy…

"Ares!" she yelled in between laughs, trying hard to push him from her, but he was way too heavy for her to succeed." Ares, stop it!" she begged, squirming and squealing under him, but he kept grinning devilishly as he continued, pinning her hands above her head as he kept teasing her with the other.

" Not until you say you're sorry….." he let her know, in between laughs.

" I'm sorry….I'm sorry! " she gave up, her face flushed and her beryl moons glistening with amusement, and his fingers finally ended their energetic dance up and down her ribs.

Moments before he released her arms, the War God took his sweet time studying her features. She was beautiful….so freaking beautiful and provocative and….just right for him….From the way she looked at him to that undeniable chemistry, that awkward magnetism between their bodies….she was the very definition of temptation… everything was perfect about her…

" It's your turn to close your eyes…." he murmured softly against her ear, tickling the sensitive skin behind it now and sending darts of pleasure through her body- but what really made Xena shudder, was the tone of his voice. She couldn't really identify it, for she hadn't heard it before, but for some reason, it made her unbelievably nervous and vulnerable.

" Are you planning to stab me?" she inquired after a thoughtful pause, using his own words against him, and if the God had seemed slightly amused when he said them earlier that night, she on the other hand, sounded rather edgy….What was wrong with her? This Bastard had just spent half the evening flirting with some ex flame, and there she was, all wet and excited, utterly compliant at his any request. Tartarus, it was like every note pouring from his lips, every inflection, could trigger a series of earthshaking orgasms deep inside her already pulsating cunt…..It sure made her spine feel as if it were on fire….

"Been there, done that…" he sexily whispered again, shifting a bit so that he was perfectly nestled between her legs and despite herself, she couldn't help thinking that she had never wanted a man so much in her life…..Her body was like a volcano, continuously erupting, and that unexplainable urge to feel his cock, buried deep inside her, was at least unnatural…..The mere idea of having him fuck her again, made a fine trail of moisture drip from her now glistening slit, and she automatically closed her eyes at the feeling, her entire body tensing for a moment, in anticipation.

"Don't move, or I'll have to tie your hands…" he let her know, and she could actually feel him smiling against her mouth as his lips brushed hers, ever so lightly, just like she had tried to do to him earlier, before passion took over …..

He was going to tease her big time, she could tell that much, but truth was, nothing could prepare her for what happened afterwards…..

….Her mouth popped open with pleasure and surprise, when, wasting no time, he focused his attention straight on her overly sensitive breasts whilst his fingers began scraping lightly over her abdominal muscles, moving past her naval but stopping tormentingly close to the place she desperately wanted him to touch again.

His breath was warm and stimulating as it swirled around the outside of her areola, slowly spiraling inward, licking teasingly slow around her nipple but without actually touching it, expertly teasing her senses. By the Fates! It was pure, exquisite torture…one that she would have never wanted to end. When he finally brushed the tip of his tongue across the pebbled tip of her nipple, she thought she would scream in pleasure, her every nerve vibrating with lust, and combined with the suckling and the nibbling, the wetness between her legs became more and more abundant, so that when his fingers finally spread her labia and began stroking her, her pussy was drenched with creamy juices- wetter than she could ever remembered being.

Ares smiled….Gods, he was fascinated with this woman…! She was simply addictive and utterly irresistible…and always so ready for him…!

" I can't wait to taste you…." he once again murmured against her lips and she could feel her stomach quiver in nervousness and sweet anticipation….As he began drawing an invisible trace of moist kisses from the valley of her breast towards her belly button, it felt as if her heart itself had stopped pumping blood. Nothing else mattered- except for his skilled fingers, that were now steadily pumping in and out of her, exploring her inner depths.

She moaned ecstatically at the first contact, marveled at how tightly her muscles clenched around him. The God's thick cock twitched in excitement of course, and she could now feel it again, pressing hard against her inner thigh, but he made a noise of protest when she reached for him, and in exchange he plunged his fingers even deeper inside her. She hissed in frustration, obviously wanting more…more than his fingers, no matter how skilled an unfairly talented they were…. Instead, she wanted that throbbing shaft to impale her, and a low groan of aching need tore from her throat when, moments later, he replaced those hard working fingers with his tongue, thus eliciting a new series of sighs, gasps and whimpers as electricity crackled through her with each new stroke….

He was entranced…..every little sound she made, every little moan drove him even wilder….He wanted her like nothing else on the face of the earth. And he wanted her crazy for him, desperate for him to fuck her ….A possessive need to feel that she was **his,** and his alone, and that in this whole universe, there was nothing for her but **his touch**….

With those thoughts whirling maddeningly inside his blurry mind, Ares' tongue was lapping fervently now at her swollen clit, and combined with the now aggressive invasion of his fingers, hitting repeatedly the sensitive spot that he knew would make her lose even the last trace of control her mind still had over her body, he brought her on the brink of ecstasy.

"Does it feel good?" he tenderly whispered, slowing his pace for a moment and limiting his movement at circling her clit with his index for a few torturous seconds that for Xena seemed to last an eternity- enough for him to take the needed time to study her absolutely divine, blissful visage….She was astonishing, completely transformed with unrestrained lust…

" Please don't stop…." she asked, while, holding on to him to steady herself, she started riding his fingers, writhing under him, grinding her hips against his palm in dizzy hunger for what his previous touches had promised_._

It was obviously everything the War God needed to hear. Eager to please his impossibly aroused Princess_, _he soon replaced his tongue with his knuckles and, rubbing her furiously, he soon catapulted her over the edge, her body coming apart under his skillful ministrations….

In response, her fingers sank into his hair and her head tossed back and forth on the pillows and her spine arched almost violently as she kept whimpering under the force of the most powerful orgasm she had had that night….

Seconds later, she was biting her lips hard at the realization of how slutty and exposed she felt…Allowing him to control her to that extent, was the stupidest thing she had done in her entire life, and somehow, deep inside, she knew it…With Ares, sooner or later, such recklessness came with a price, and she was still unsure whether she could afford paying it…..

Feeling almost uncomfortable now about the whole situation, the dark haired beauty shifted her glance, searching for the War God's, but when their eyes finally met, his absolutely hypnotized gaze held nothing of her inner turmoil. Probably the biggest shock of the night, was though when, instead of replacing his fingers- once again coated in her juices- with that fully erect cock that she could feel pressing wantonly against her leg earlier, he preferred to snuggle closer to her and encase her in a warm protective embrace….

Misinterpreting his gesture, her hand, immediately headed toward his shaft, only to discover to her boundless surprise that it was flaccid and apparently unimpressed by her earlier performance- which for any guy in his righteous mind would have been mind-blowingly arousing.

The shocked expression on her face must have confessed everything in a split second as well, for, with unbelievable gentleness given their previous interaction, the God took her hand in his and tenderly pressed it against his lips.

" No need to panic, Sweet, I'm a God, remember? I have perfect control over my own body…" he said, shifting demonstratively a bit so that she could now feel just how hard he was again…"

" Oh…." she simply said, not really knowing what to make of it …

" You're exhausted…." he lovingly explained right before he placed another delicate kiss on her lips, one that she cleverly deepened, but which he abruptly broke moments later- before things got out of hand again. " Hey! No more womanly tricks…..Sleep…I need you rested tomorrow, for the festival remember…?"

"I almost forgot about it…." she breathed out, her lips curling into the most adorable smile as the tips of his fingers began caressing her face. " Do we have to wake up early?" she inquired, a small frown creasing her forehead at the thought.

His hand went still for a moment on her cheek….By the Styx itself, he loved seeing her smile….She had the most amazing, dazzling smile- the most spectacular thing to witness, beyond any shadow of a doubt….

"Ares?" she asked, seeing that he wasn't planning on answering soon…..

" Yeah?" he answered as if having just woken up from a trance.

" Do we need to wake up early tomorrow?" she repeated the question, silently wondering what had kept his mind** that** busy.

" No…the festival only stars after sunset.." he finally mentioned, wrapping his arms tighter around her…." We can spend the entire morning right here, in between these sheets…."

His line- which was initially supposed to be informative- sounded incredibly obscene to her, his voice charged with a sexual tension hard to miss.

" Are you sure about this? " the Warrior Princess questioned, subtly pressing her leg against his erection.….He was still iron hard….

" Positive….Holding you like this is better than any orgasm…" he ended, kissing protectively her forehead and pulling her a few inches upper so that her head could use his chest as a pillow.

" I'm telling you War God, all this sex isn't doing you any good….It has started to mess with your mind…."

" No….you're messing with my mind…." he jokingly contradicted, searching for her mouth, and unlike the previous time, he didn't limit himself at an innocent, delicate brush of her lips, but an intense, hard, hot, diving kiss that left her breathless and trembling in his arms….

" Sweet dreams, Princess…." he breathed out on an intoxicatingly alluring tone that made her wonder if her going to sleep was what he really wanted….

"Was it good for you?" she found herself asking-right before she followed his precious advice- her voice hesitant and somewhat fearful, cursing herself the very next second for having dared ask such stupid question….

"It was amazing. " his shooting words reached her ears, while he softly began running his fingers through her dark, silky tresses.

Quite pleased with herself- despite all the self imposed restrictions- Xena finally drifted to sleep, a deep, peaceful slumber, in which her mind went completely blank, no thoughts, no images, no dreams….just a pleasing, welcoming darkness in which the only well veiled contact she still had with reality were the God's gentle strokes and the calming sensation of his breath on her shoulder as he held her through the night..….

...From behind one of the mirror walls, two devilish, emerald green eyes were shining in the darkness, glazed with jealousy….

**XXX **

A few hours later, the God was still wide awake, watching over his Princess, listening to the melodic sound of air entering and exiting her lungs….He couldn't sleep…..He didn't want to sleep…He smiled into her hair as she finally stirred in his embrace, snuggling even closer to him, if possible. A small gasp left her lips as her hand moved a few inches, her body stiffening for a few moments, just to relax back when, as if wanting to make sure that he was still there with her, her arm unconsciously tightened its hold around his mid section…He was still there….she was safe….

He knew in that moment that there was nothing in the world he wouldn't do for her, and immediately arched an eyebrow at the realization….The main reason why he had brought her there in the first place, was to figure out what it was that he felt for her….He had initially thought that it was pretty much the same thing that he felt for Amytis….dark, agonizing passion- a consuming fire really, that he couldn't get himself to extinguish…..Boy was he wrong….!

The desire he felt for the Queen couldn't even be compared to the tornado of sensations his Princess had managed to stir inside him…If with Amytis, it was all about lust, rough, carnal passion that was bound to enslave the senses –at times driven to the extreme too- with Xena it was all that and more….Her presence was like air to his lungs, and her gaze alone was more than enough to bring out an imaginable hunger inside him….And that unnatural possessiveness he felt towards her- he hadn't felt like that about anyone in his entire godly existence.

….With the read headed Queen, he had never felt jealousy ….He couldn't care less who else fucked her, even in his presence- whether it was her husband, one of her many lovers or any other male or female for that matter, he had never ever given a damn about it, it left him as cold as ice at the sentimental level. He did find it maddeningly arousing nonetheless to fuck her perfectly toned ass while Nabucco ravished her pussy, but that was all there was to it….

With his Princess on the other hand , the thought alone of some other man even looking at her implyingly, infuriated him beyond words and reason….He was still surprised that he hadn't carbonized the King the minute he saw him touching her like that…..A wave of dark, acid anger washed over him right out of nowhere again as the image crept back into his mind…Indeed, the gratitude he felt towards his friend had been the only thing that had saved his petty life- but just like he warned him, he would not be given a second chance…She was **his** , and his alone, and would chop to pieces anyone who dared touch his property.

…At the same time, as much as he hated admitting it, this behavior of his was sick and he knew it…..He wanted her to be **his**, almost in the same way one would want to own a pet or an object, a soulless thing that could never say **no,** but paradoxically, at the same time, he wanted her to be as crazy about him as he was about her….She wanted **her heart** not just her body, **her respect** not just the advantages that her position as his Chosen could bring her…

"**I want you to love me…."** he murmured in her hair, without even realizing that the words were actually leaving his lips…It was a staggering conclusion that finally left him wondering if he wasn't actually losing it- as she had so sincerely put it….Maybe she was right, maybe all that sex was finally getting to him…With that thought in mind, he also drifted to sleep, inhaling deeply the still lingering smell of their love making and that delicate perfume of her skin….She was **his**….

**THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSTANT SUPPORT PEOPLE:) BOTH REGULAR REVIEWERS AND GUESTS:) XOXOXOXOXO :) **


	10. There's no such thing as nothing

**CURIOUS ABOUT HOW EXACTLY ARES GOT TO KNOW AMYTIS IN THE FIRST PLACE? YOU'LL FIND OUT ALL ABOUT IT IN THIS CHAPTER:) **

When the late morning sun finally began to caress her face through the wide open window, Xena shifted lazily in the War God's embrace. She didn't open her eyes, no, not yet given that she was still half asleep, still wandering along that ever so fragile border between a sweet, captivating dream and waking up….

She inhaled deeply though, and with that, the conscious part of her brain instantly knew it…That delicious, masculine perfume could only belong to him, and as his soft lips placed a warm, loving kiss against her temple, there was no doubt about it anymore….

She purred, just like a spoiled kitty, making herself even more comfortable in his strong, protective arms, and in response, his lips glided slowly down her cheek and even lower until they reached the corner of her mouth.

" Morning Sleeping Beauty…" he whispered, pressing delicately his lips against hers, and he could swear he had felt a jolt of electricity shooting through her at the contact….

Unlike himself, he didn't deepen the kiss. Instead, he framed her charmingly radiant visage with his palms and waited for her to open those mesmerizing azure moons for him…When she finally did, a strange, unfamiliar heat enveloped his heart like a fiery ribbon , making it pulsate wildly – like only an historic battle could, but at the same time, way, way better...

When her own hand extended to his face and her fingers started gliding along his cheek bones, her gaze now firmly fixed on his half parted lips, he just had to ask himself whether this confusing whirl of sensations taking over his body every single time she touched him was really love- this idea had haunted him mercilessly throughout the rest of the night, right after she fell asleep – or something even more intense-And if was indeed so, what was it?…

"How did you sleep?" he questioned- unable to move or to break the spell she had him under- like he had first intended it- but as her tongue glided cunningly inside his velvety mouth, tasting him, exploring him- in a neither gentle nor rough manner- with the unmistakable assuredness of a woman who knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it, he suddenly found himself entangled in the labyrinthine reality of her kiss.

A shudder rippled through his body as she molded herself closer to him, and soon he was plundering her mouth with a fervor that made their breathing become more and more erratic by the second. Combined moans of pleasure swirled in their mouths as that intimate union of their tongues become longer, more demanding and definitely more intoxicating.

" Gods, baby…." he murmured once she pulled away from him, his chest rising and falling in quick, uneven pumps, his body reactions more fierce than anything he had ever known…" Do I take your breath away the same way you take mine? "

"I'd rather keep that a secret" she cattishly answered, once again amazed to find that impossibly loving gaze in his eyes….

"I won't tell anyone…" he tempted, his lips moving lower now at the base of her neck. Her veins were like fire- her blood probably as hot as molten lava, and he could actually feel it pulsing in rhythm with his own heartbeat….She was driving him crazy even when she didn't do anything at all…..

" Ares…." she finally moaned when she realised how things were going to evolve from there….." I desperately need a bath….I'm soaking wet…." she whined, scraping her nails lightly against his bare back.

"That's perfect….Just like I want you to be..." he answered, his voice thick with arousal.

" That's not what I meant…" she insisted, chuckling softly when, twisting her body and slipping from under him, she noticed his childish pout. He pretty much looked like a naughty five year old boy whose mother had just taken away his favorite toy...

A light touch on her shoulder was all it took for the God to make a refreshening late spring like breeze, combined with an amazing wild flowers perfume and the sensation of a delightful summer rain envelop her body in their unique, supernatural effect that left her absolutely clean within the blink of an eye…..

" Better?" he asked, without actually waiting for an answer, already clutching his fingers in her thick, silky hair to pull her back into his arms, but a feather like touch on his wrist stopped his any intention the following second.

" I'm just dying for a real, lilac scented bubble bath ….." she pleaded, casting him an apologetic glance while biting her lower lip.

His brows got unconsciously pulled together in a frustrated frown….He just couldn't get enough of her, and not being able to have her when he wanted, made him almost furious ….Whatever anger had risen inside him though, dissolved into nothingness the minute her fingers started caressing his forearm.

"Whatever you want…." he breathed out softly, and a mere moment later, he did pull her in his arms, but for an entirely different reason- to scoop her up and carry her across the room - in the direction of an enormous round stone bathtub that had appeared right out of nowhere, for her and her alone…

A few steps later, he was gently placing her in the divinely scented water, and he couldn't help that full- blown smile that stretched the sides of his lips as he saw her close her eyes at the relishing sensation of the impossibly white, fluffy foam clanging to her skin and teasing her sensitive nipples.

" Is the water hot enough….?" he asked, despite the fact that he already knew the answer to that question.

" Just right….." she replied, breathing deeply and murmuring with pleasure as she made herself comfortable, resting her head on the edge of the tub.

This time, she didn't utter the smallest protest when, joining her in the water and moving behind her, he pulled her in his lap. Contrary to her expectations though, he didn't do any of the things she could just swear he was about to do….She could have bet her life that as soon as he got into that tub, his hands would be possessively roaming against each and every inch of her appealing body, making her explode like a firecracker in his arms several times way before his cock even entered her, making her regret with all her heart and soul that she had turned him down earlier…Surprisingly, it appeared as if the God had no such intentions, and, apart from the fact that he skillfully pinned her already clean hair up and locked his arms around her waist, no naughty thought had even crossed his mind - an unexpected reaction that left the Warrior Princess wondering what had changed his course of action…

"So…" she started, suddenly a bit unease with this new situation…

" So….." he continued, his fingers adding a bit more pressure against her ribcage as his lips found their way to her shoulder, where they planted an innocent, barely felt kiss.

" Tell me that story…" she asked, leaning into him even more, the back of her head resting against his wide, muscular chest.

"What story darling?" he inquired, giving a quiet, deep moan of satisfaction as her satin hand unconsciously began stroking his outer thighs. She had the most incredible touch….

"About your friends….How did you meet them ?" she asked, in a slightly more serious voice, biting her lip as he absently started to brush his thumbs at the base of her breasts- a casual, primal response to her own ministrations, that came almost automatically, no hidden agenda what so ever, it was just pure, mindless instinct….

" It's a long story…" he whispered huskily against her ear, his fingers moving a few inches upper, so that his hands were now cupping her full, gorgeous breasts, giving them a light squeeze before they ceased any type of movement as if the awareness of what he was doing finally washed over him.

" Well….you did say that we have the morning all to ourselves…so…."she reminded him, arching a bit forward so that her breasts pressed harder into his palms and it wasn't last long until she distinctly felt his shaft starting to swell and harden under her and she just couldn't help herself… she unconsciously rubbed herself against him as if trying to make herself more comfortable, this time, eliciting a soft sigh from him.

" It all started with a war…" he began, placing a few lustful kisses on the back of her neck, bursting spears of dark, perverse pleasure piercing through every cell of his body when she once again ground her slit along his rigid pole, her nipples turning suddenly rock hard at the feeling, pressing like nails against the center of his palm.

He clenched his teeth, biting hard his lower lip, while trying to keep his instincts under control, thinking that maybe, the only thing she wanted right now was to enjoy a decent bath and not necessarily another round of wild sex, especially after the utterly brutal night they had spent together…

" A war?" she inquired in between considerably more labored breaths, licking her lips as behind her closed eyes, unwillingly, the image of his throbbing meat ramming in and out her boiling with need pussy, forced itself into her brain, teasing her beyond words…She almost moaned at the thought. Luckily, just as that needy sound was about to leave her mouth, she pushed it back down her throat, mentally slapping herself for her weakness…And though….the thought alone was incredibly arousing, and all of the sudden, she could feel a very special warmth glowing between her legs, pulsating ceaselessly in one particular spot where she desperately wanted him to touch her….

" A war, yeah…that was what brought us together." he responded while with ample moves, he began to slowly massage her breasts, the rich foam helping his hands glide deliciously across their brash, alluring surface …His eyes glittered darkly when this time, there was no time for her to stop the gasp that burst from her throat….He was so damn good with his hands….

She threw her head slightly back when his fingers finally began teasing her nipples, rolling them carefully and tugging on them, and from the position she was now in, his teeth started nibbling on her earlobe…

" It was about three centuries ago…" he continued and his statement was like a slap across the Warrior Princess' flushed face.

" Three centuries?! Does that mean that she's a Goddess?!" she inquired, half outraged by the possibility….

"Not precisely…she's immortal…." he clarified, tightening his hold on her as if fearing that she might get up and leave…She wasn't going anywhere…not anymore…..

"You see, the Olympian pantheon was at War with the gods of Babylon…" he said, not really pleased with the fact that her brain was overly alert now….He had to do something to change that…So before the Warrior Princess got the chance to properly dissect that valuable information, his hand had already snaked down between her legs, parting them slightly before two thick fingers slid between her puffy lips, moving up and down her slit a few times….A new gasp echoed in the air as he gently began to tease her clit, in a slow but steady rhythm, making sure too add just the right amount of pressure to enslave her senses, and soon, her legs parted even wider, on their own accord, giving him even more access …

"What were they fighting about?" she inquired, her entire body tensing as the friction created became more and more pleasant….She felt as if she were drugged….The surreal scent in the air, and that absolutely intoxicating surge of euphoria taking gradually over her as his skillful fingers increased their pace a bit before they teasingly slowed down again…..It was heaven…

" Some ancient book they appeared to have stolen from Greece." he himself barely breathed out- impossibly hard now at feeling just how slippery her pussy was….

"Was it Amytis who stole the book ?" Xena asked, making an effort to block the instant rage that washed over her the moment she uttered the Queen's name, but her anger soon faded when the Gods fingers plunged deep into her cunt….Her eyes flew open when he began stroking her G spot, while his thumb kept brushing against her clit, and she instinctively started to rock her hips against his fingers, her whimpers more loud and more frequent with each stroke.

The God bit almost savagely into her shoulder, growling hungrily - her stimulating movements driving him absolutely insane….His blood rushed like a firestorm in his veins at the sounds she was making….His cock was twitching, almost exploding with need. He wanted so badly to just push his rigid shaft inside her and get it done with, that he could barely think straight let alone articulate something logic….

"No….we were…uh" he hesitated…It was surely a challenge to stay focused and please her at the same time "…on the battlefield…" the words stumbled from his mouth, as his hand finally withdrew from within her, and began caressing her breasts instead, a gesture that only elicited a frustrated moan from her still half parted lips.

"On the battlefield? " she inquired, biting her lip as she teasingly began to trace her index up and down his swollen cockhead, sending a shockwave of desire though him, making his body shudder slightly at the contact, ravished by those stunning sensations her mere touch could build within him.

"You were saying?" she asked, but he took his time answering, as a fresh arrow of lust pierced right through his gut the instant he felt hot juices dripping from her quenchless cunt….That was definitely not the water..

"We were on the battle field, fighting , and I was wounded while trying to protect Hermes….." he responded, and without warning, his large hand clamped down her neck, whirling her around, so that now she was on her knees on the inner step they had been seating on, her tummy pressed hard against the tub wall while three of his fingers plunged furiously into her cunt….He had been right, she was incredibly wet and her swollen clit showed just close she had been to actually having an orgasm right there, while just rubbing herself against him…..

This time, it was not her dripping pussy that he wanted though…No…it was that illegally erotic ass….the same one that had been teasing him for the past thirty minutes…

Xena moaned loudly in pleasure as his fingers buried themselves to the knuckle inside her…God it felt absolutely divine, but still, what she really longed to greedily feel impaling her, was that oversized, throbbing cock she had been coating with her juices earlier…..

To her boundless surprise though, while his fingers kept pumping in and out her velvety, pulsating snatch, when she least expected it, his already lubricated cock head began pushing her luscious ass cheeks apart, demanding entrance.

For a moment she panicked. She tried to move, she tried to push him away, but inside her anxious pussy, a blessed, ever so wanted orgasm was already forming, so that by the time he slowly shoved his cock inside her tight tunnel, despite the fact that she cried out in pain at the intrusion, the discomfort was immediately replaced by the unearthly climax that was ripping through her shuddering body, making her push herself frantically against the rigid pole, asking for more, until inch by inch, his stiffness was pulled even deeper inside her.

The sensation was exquisitively intense, a mixture of hot pressure and absolute fullness, especially with the inner muscles of her pussy walls contracting maddeningly around his fingers. Her entire body stiffened for a moment and then she arched her hips, eager to match his thrusts and it was all it took for him to just pound his cock even deeper into her. With each new rough stab, he could feel her tight ass sucking his hard pole more and more, stretching it to the limits. He gritted his teeth, and began to viciously rub her still overly sensitive clit, a move that made her give out a small scream before pleasure took over again. Her ass soon clutched his jerking dick like a vise…and then he came…they both came, and her muscles just kept squeezing him harder for long, endless seconds…It was crazy..

"Now we can talk about whatever the Tartarus you want…" he said, pulling her back in the tub again. Her whole body was still shaking from the force of those orgasms- Gods knew she could hardly feel her legs- and he just wrapped his arms around her again…..

**XXX **

A few minutes had to pass until she regained her breath and she turned around in his arms and straddled him….She needed to look him in the eyes when he told her everything she wanted to know ….She thought she could tell by now if he was lying or not, but most of all, she didn't want to miss his any reaction when she asked him about his ex lover.

"I totally lost you at the part where you got wounded…Everything else is a blur.." she laughed and he just laughed back, caressing her still flushed face.

" As I said, I was stupidly trying to save Hermes….By the Styx, even a child could kill that good for nothing winged fool ….I'm shocked that he actually managed to survive all these eons , his body still in one piece!" he announced with a frown. " He's as useless as a rusty sword when it comes to War- like most of the Olympians, actually! Anyway….Marduk was right about to cut his head off, so I did my best to get to him in time, but busy as I was with saving his lame ass, I failed to hear the invisible blade of Irkalla- goddess of the Underworld- swirling in the air seconds before it pierced right through my armor, cutting through Hephaestus' metal as if it were cutting through butter."

"I thought nothing could break his metal…" Xena stated, arching her brows in surprise, confusion painted on her face the moment she recalled the legends…

" There's no such thing as **nothing, **darling**…**There's always something…." he clarified, not very fond of the memory, judging by those lines creasing his forehead. " She stabbed me very close to the heart, a lethal wound by all means. I hardly found the strength to vanish from the battlefield and, call it the irony of the old twisted Fates, the vortex projected me jut a couple of yards away from the main battlefield. …."

Xena's eyes widened as he said it, completely captivated by the story.

" I was as good as dead, no doubt about it. If my enemies didn't find me , the poison on the blade was surely going to kill me…..With my last remaining strength, I crawled behind a bush, desperately trying to contact Zeus or any of my siblings, but it was in vain…They were way too focused on the fight to pay attention to any telepathic interference…..And that's when I saw it…the hand that offered me salvation…."

"Amytis…." the Warrior Princess breathed out, trying not to sound to resentful….After all, the bitch did save his life….

" Nabucco." the God corrected, grinning widely at her error…" I was flabbergasted. I mean…the guy had been fighting by our enemies' side…..I clearly recall him fighting Apollo, helping out Shamash- their sun God- ….At first I thought it was a trap, but I had nothing to lose. He told me to take his hand and get into the chariot if I still wanted to live…For the first time in my life I think, I did as I was told without asking any further questions. Before I knew it, we were riding towards this same palace, with a speed that could only rival Pegasus'….."

"Why did he help you? You were his enemy….He would have been considered a traitor by the members of the Pantheon…."

" Because of a small incident on the battlefield. As the fight started, I parried a blow that no mortal could have anticipated- Poseidon's trident is a nasty weapon for right about anyone- but after seeing him face three Olympians by himself- he has some pretty amazing fighting technique- I thought it was a shame for such a skilled fighter to spend the rest of his life without an arm…."

"He was grateful…"

"A rare thing these days….Anyway, as we got here, his wife bandaged my wound and gave me the extremely rare antidote I needed to keep me alive long enough until one of the Olympians came for me….She sent a messenger to Zeus- once again risking their own lives in the process-….Two days later, Athena came with the ambrosia that was supposed to get me on my feet, wearing a hard to miss, condescending smile on her lips of course…."

"What happened afterwards?" she inquired, still unable to understand how exactly it was that they became immortal.

"I split my ambrosia with them….It was the least I could do…."

Needless to say, the Warrior Princess was speechless….By the time she was about to ask something else, there was a loud knock at the door, and soon the beautiful slave – fully dressed this time- that had led them to their chamber the night before was standing in the doorway.

"My Lord, my Lady, you are invited to lunch by the King and the Queen….."

"We'll be right there." Ares replied, signaling her to leave.


	11. To War

Minutes later, both the War God and his Warrior Princess were casually walking out the mahogany doors of their room, and while Ares was wearing a subtle but very hard to miss smile on his lips- for him it was definitely a new expression that had nothing in common with his usually stern figure- Xena's blank gaze revealed more than a thing or two about her peculiar state of mind…Something was obviously bugging her, and a certain redheaded queen must have been still on her mind, even after that absolutely wild night she and the handsome Olympian had spent together….

For reasons that she couldn't yet fully comprehend, something kept bothering her when it came to the God's relationship with Amytis, and though he had bent over backwards to convince her that his **ex lover** was precisely that and nothing more, despite her best efforts, a small voice coming from somewhere in the back of her mind kept telling her that whatever it was they had shared, it was far from being over…There was something in their eyes whenever they looked at each other, something that just jumped to confirm her suspicions every single time…and she didn't like it , not one bit…..

What troubled her the most though, wasn't even the fact that they had a thing , but just how much their relationship seemed to affect** her**….For the love of the Fates, she couldn't believe it….the impact his every gesture managed to have on her was absolutely intolerable, and that wasn't going to get her anywhere. It was not an advantageous situation, not from where she stood, and in spite of the fact that Ares was playing the sweet, caring and protective lover with her, Xena knew better…..If she wanted more from him, this was definitely not the way ….No matter how bright their morning had been, she would risk to turn all the following days into complete, endless obscurity if things didn't change and fast…

She didn't like to admit it, but that peasant back in the village had been right: he would throw her away like a used rag the moment he got bored with her, and she simply couldn't allow that. She needed him, she needed his expertise, she needed all the military advantages that he could offer her, and that was supposed to be her main goal….Simply falling for his charms like a naïve teenager, was only going to lead her to her doom sooner or later, Chosen or not….

" I'd pay to know what's going on in that pretty head of yours…" his voice pulled her out of that silent chatter with herself.

" And just how much would you be willing to offer in exchange of my precious thoughts?" she playfully challenged, a naughty smile breaking through her lips.

" I don't know….it depends on the nature of that intense reflection….would it be of any interest to me?"

" Everything related to your Chosen should be interesting to you, my God….." she teased, arching a sharp eyebrow at him.

" Ouch! Point taken, my dear….Ok…..So….for the sake of conversation, we'll leave out that part in which I'd feel forced to remind you that one of my many skills is mind reading, and that I could just lose myself in those pretty baby blues of yours and find out everything you're trying so hard to hide from me, and …."

"Don't even dare do that again or I swear it on the head of Zeus, you'll be spending the rest of eternity in pieces….!" she threatened, suddenly glaring daggers at the Olympian- as the not very pleasant memory when, soon after Lyceus' death, he had pulled a similar scheme….She couldn't understand of course that it had been out of pure concern that he had done it, for that racking pain and sadness in her eyes , that alarming desperation that he could see growing continuously every day, had scared the very life out of him….He had to know how her brain worked in order to protect her if needed, even from herself…..He was just being cautious, that's all. Inevitably, our overly independent Warrior Princess had rushed to interpret it as a serious invasion of her privacy.

" Only Gods are allowed to swear on the head of Zeus…" he joked, trying to momentarily distract her.

" Who says so?"

" The Olympian King himself…"

"Well, just so you know, I don't give a rat's ass on what Zeus says…."

He couldn't help bursting into laughter at the bluntness of that line…..For a mortal, she was something else..

" And you still haven't told me how much you would be willing to pay for my thoughts- which had something to do with you by the way…" she cleverly tempted.

" Hmmm….so you've been thinking about me…." he pointed out , on a tone that showed just how pleased he was with himself.

" That isn't necessarily a good thing…" she specified, tightening the hold on his arm as they began to descend the curving stairs ….."Why are we walking again?" she just had to ask, frowning a bit at the endless number of steps spiraling down till the main hall….

" Can you really blame a man for doing even the impossible to spend a bit more time in your company?"

It was her turn to laugh….

" You're such a flatterer…."

" So….what is it that you want?"

She gave him a confused look for a second until she realised what he was talking about….Yeah….he was really getting to her….

" I want you to show me something tonight…"

His eyes instantly sparkled with lust…

" What is that?"

" I've noticed something strange about one of my soldiers during the last confrontation…..I want you to open a portal for me and replay a certain scene…."

" What did you see?" he asked, sounding rather concerned than surprised.

" I'm not sure yet….But I have a hunch…"

" Treason?"

" Maybe…."

"Who?" he inquired, suddenly tense.

" I think I'd rather keep you in suspense all day long….." she cattishly answered after careful consideration….Truth was, she couldn't wait to see if she had been right…That was why she had insisted to return to camp in the first place the day before….She hated treason and more than the act itself, she hated traitors. In her vision, double crossers were just a more elegant synonym for **dead bodies**.

" That's nasty…..I like it. **But**….in exchange, I want you to do something too….."

" I'll tell you what it was I was thinking about…." she answered without hesitation.

" Tsk, tsk tsk tsk tsk…How could I even be sure that you'd tell me the truth? No way….I wanna see it…" he demanded.

" There's no way I'll let you rummage through my mind again!" she immediately barked, sounding particularly angry and inflexible on the subject.

" Take it or leave it….."

She just rolled her eyes at him, and they walked in silence for the most part of the long corridor preceding the Great Hall.

"I'll think about it….." she finally announced, without looking at him though….

"I'd say it's worth it….Sometimes it takes one single betray to destabilize an entire army….You don't want that…." he casually reminded her, eager to tip the scales in his favour….He would have given her anything for the chance to access her mind again….Yes, he could also do it without her consent, but it was not the same, definitely not the same….If she were to agree to that, he could freely scan her brain, no barriers what so ever in his path to prevent him from finding out everything he wanted to know, and that was a rare opportunity.

"There are other methods to find out what I want to know..."

" None of which as fast as a portal..."

That being said, they finally entered the Great Hall, where the King and Queen- already seated at the royal table- were being served by a ridiculous number of slaves…

**XXX **

" Ares! Xena….." the redheaded Queen exclaimed, her pitch lowering considerably towards the last part of the exclamation….Needless to say, she was anything but thrilled to see just how tight Ares' hold of his Chosen was….**.again**…

For the first time since they stepped foot in Babylon, Amytis tried not to appear in any way affected by their presence. After that horrific display of passion she had witnessed the night before, from behind the mirror walls , one thing was finally clear in her mind: she had some pretty serious competition- standing now just a few menacing yards in front of her- and if she was to win this yet undeclared war with her rival, she had to play smart…..

" It's great that you have decided to join us…..Please, take a seat…" she courteously invited, gesturing one of the slaves to pour them some wine.

In her turn, Xena did her best to put on an adequate mask this time….She might not have been as experienced as the 300 years old stunningly looking Queen was when it came to reading people, but she wasn't stupid either….She could tell what she was trying to do…she was analyzing her, looking for weaknesses, for cracks in her armour…..she was up to something, she could smell it….

" Thank you. " Ares simply answered, making- to Xena's utter surprise- only a brief eye contact with her, his attention focused rather on clanging cups with Nabucco.

" How did you sleep?" she asked, taking a long sip of sweet, honeyed wine, while waiting for an answer.

" Do you want to know how we slept or how many hours we spent fucking?!" the War God's acid question slashed the air, making even Xena feel slightly uncomfortable with the bluntness of its content.

" I think that would be option number two…." Nabucco replied instead, and both men started laughing while pouring themselves some more wine.

"Men….always so deep…." Amytis mockingly added, rolling her eyes at them….."Option number two doesn't even require an answer geniuses, the answer is quite obvious on poor Xena's face….She's only mortal , Ares, you should keep that in mind the next time you decide to mercilessly use her frail body for your private entertainment…."

" Your boundless care for my sexual life is…..**surprising **to say the least." the Warrior Princess cut in, plunging a knife in a piece of chicken breast in front of the Queen. " ...especially given that the reactions of my frail body, were in complete disagreement with your logic there, last night…."she made sure to counterattack, arching a brow as she glanced at Ares, who was already biting his lip at the stream of memories invading his mind…"**Mercilessly**…..was just what I needed…"

A shade of jealousy flashed on the surface of the Queen's eyes before the King decided it was time to intervene.

" Catfight! ….I gotta hand it to you Bro', you haven't lost your touch…" he chuckled, discreetly signaling to Amytis to stop it, an order that was of course, fully ignored by the already furious redhead.

"No need to get all territorial Darling…I was just trying to be polite….Ever since that war with the Trojans, you Greeks, always misinterpret people's even most decent intentions...I guess after tricking them the way you did, now you even fear your own shadow..."

" You forget something….It was the Trojans who lost the war." the Warrior Princess reminded her with a broad, satisfied smile

" That** Trojan War**! Do you remember it, Nabucco?! Delicious carnage! Body parts everywhere, guts and blood covering the ground as far as the eye could see!" Ares suddenly roared, his eyes gleaming with pride and passion.

" It was a masterpiece! You did a legendary good job there! Why don't we drink to that?! **To war**, my friend! "

" To** you**….." Amytis made sure to add, raising her own cup, and offering the God a dazzling smile that held his gaze prisoner for a second longer than he had first intended.

" …And to my extremely gifted Chosen who will make sure to give a new significance to the art of combat…." he added, raising his glass in Xena's honor…..

Let's just say that it was a good thing that the cups they were holding were made out of silver and gold, or Amytis' furiously strong grip would have certainly broken hers to pieces….

**XXX**

Back in Xena's strangely peaceful camp, a remarkably restless Theodorus and an unusually overjoyed Darphus were supposedly having breakfast in one of the tents - away from the casual chatter of groggy men and definitely as far away from praying eyes as possible .

Had one of the soldiers happened to accidentally interrupt them though, he would have noticed that they had hardly touched their food and more than that, they were both standing. A keen observer would have also noticed that while Xena's second in command had the appearance of a man who had just won the most spectacular battle in history, Theodorus' ceaseless pacing back and forth the small interior gave the impression that he was going to explode soon. At the same time, their conversation had such a particular subject that it could only be held on the lowest of tones .

" How could we know that we can even trust that woman, Darphus? Do you even realize what you're saying there?" the man hissed, trying to get some sense into his friend.

" We can always experiment…." the suggestion soon came.

" Experiment? "

" Yeah…..Try it on one of these worthless peasants…If it works as fast as that bitch said it would….then we can tell the others to dip the tip of their arrows into it….The Warrior Princess would be as good as dead. "

" You're definitely out of your mind…..What if that woman wasn't even from Babylon? And just how do you think she knew that we were looking for a special way to kill **our mutual friend- **as she put it**-** huh? Doesn't that make you wonder?! What if this is all a test? "

" Xena doesn't suspect a thing….Why would she feel the need to test us in any way?! We've been more than loyal so far…..Too loyal, I might add….No…that whore has countless enemies. But we'll make sure to free her from any similar concern…."


	12. Words of love

As the minutes passed away unnoticed, the War God and Nabucco engaged into what appeared to be an endless, heated argument about strategy and warfare, only to end up- much to Xena's despair- going over every single stage of the Trojan War….Not really in the mood for that kind of conversation- she had barely woken up for Gaia's sake- the Warrior Princess let out a long, exasperated sigh while chewing absently on the last piece of chicken breast her stomach was still willing to accept. She had heard all about that damned confrontation at least a hundred times before –Ares was particularly proud of it- and having to listen to it once more was like some sort of divine punishment meant to make her pay for all of her wrong deeds.

In the meantime, judging by the mischievous grin settling now on her rosy, half parted lips, Amytis was silently cooking up a plan of her own- a strategy that was going to make the all knowing War God appear like nothing more than a mere, untalented puppeteer.

" I take it the food was to your liking…." she began- in a strangely neutral voice- once the Warrior Princess was done eating.

" It was ok..." the response came as concise as one would have expected to hear from her. "However, I was starving, so…." she felt the need to explain quickly noticing the Queen's skeptical expression. Truth was, she had eaten quite a lot- which made that rather inexpressive choice of words she had used to describe the quality of their meal, a bit to harsh, even for her standards….

" I see….Babylon is known for whetting people's appetite for …well….a lot of things- food included…" she replied, a forced smile plastered on her face- the same one she had been wearing ever since the couple had set foot in her palace.

" Great…" the Warrior Princess concluded, clicking her tongue, not the least bit interested in contributing in any way to enhancing and expanding this so called conversation Amytis was assiduously trying to entertain.

"So, Xena…" she continued, taking a mental note of just how difficult it would be for her to actually get her rival to talk in the first place, let alone open up to her…She had a lot of work to do and unfortunately, so little time to put in practice everything she had in mind. She certainly couldn't afford to waste one more second in that room. "… why don't we let the boys kill each other over these boring topics we don't really care about and make a run for it? I'd love to show you around. The palace and the gardens are absolutely stunning – at least that's what most people seem to think- you have to see them….Plus, given that with the exception of the bedroom Ares didn't have the courtesy to show you anything else, I would gladly do it…..It would be a pity for you to miss the opportunity of actually enjoying your time here.." she generously invited, trying hard to mask that highly unfriendly gaze that clearly stated just how much she wanted to part the Warrior Princess' head from her body- in a way that was as slowly and as pain inflicting as possible.

Despite the equally hard to conceal contempt she felt towards her immortal rival, Xena subtly nodded her acceptance, effectively suppressing a smile at the realization of just how threatened the Queen must have felt by her- the absolutely stupid mistake of constantly bringing up her relationship with Ares, speaking volumes to her about just how attached this redheaded bitch still was to the Olympian God….That was good news though….If she actually felt threatened, it meant that she considered her to be a pretty serious competitor to the War God's heart…**To the War God's heart?!** The awareness that such ludicrous ideas had actually taken over her mind, hit Xena like a tone of bricks. What was wrong with her?! Since when was she fighting with anyone for **his heart**?!Whom he showed interest in or not, was supposed to be the least of her concerns! ...But still, the perspective itself of wiping that patronizing grin off the Queen's pretty face - by showing her who exactly she was messing with, was a strong enough motivation to make her accept the otherwise dull invitation….After all, a palace was just that- a palace. What was there to be seen apart from stone or marble walls and furniture?! Plus, it was quite obvious that they had nothing in common, and thus nothing to talk about really….And yet, finally getting to put her in her place was worth the effort.

With that thought in mind, seeing that Ares was still so caught up in that conversation with Nabucco that he hardly had eyes and ears for anyone else, she got up from the table, ready to follow the Queen, but before she took one single step in her direction, the God's fingers were tightly gripped around her wrist, preventing her to move- an unexpected gesture given just how incredibly absorbed he had appeared to be by the King's own war tale about how exactly he had discovered and burnt to the ground the Trojan weapon warehouse….

" Where are you going?" he asked, in a low, rough voice, frowning a bit at her intention while a few scenarios had already began whirling around inside his head- silently wondering if he had done something to upset her, or if maybe Amytis had said something that she shouldn't have...

"Relax…." the Queen answered instead, placing a light hand on his shoulder and giving it a light squeeze – an absolutely cordial touch for an untrained eye- but definitely an irritating enough one for Xena, whose jaw tensed almost instantly. By Hades himself, how she hated this woman!

Not in the least preoccupied with the Warrior Princess' opinion on the matter, the redheaded Queen continued her line on the same, lethally seductive tone that she always liked to use when addressing her ex lover. " I'll bring her back in one piece, I promise. You men are boring us to death with all that pointless talk of bloodshed and battle plans…I just want to show her around..." she let the Olympian know, offering him a dazzling, heart melting smile that made Xena's blood boil with rage.

On the other hand, quite surprisingly one might say, Ares didn't look as impressed as his Chosen was with the Queen's antics. He knew her far too well and yes, flirting might have been her specialty, but he was adamant about not letting her get to him anymore- not if that meant upsetting his Princess in any way. As a result, he did his best to act as if those torturously hard to suppress sensations coursing through his body the moment her hand made contact with his shoulder weren't even there, as if she left him completely cold….- an almost impossible task in itself….

"Good idea. This place is huge, there are plenty of things to see." he huskily agreed, softly caressing Xena's wrist with his thumb instead- refusing to let go of her yet.

" My point's exactly." Amytis retorted, all trace of humor suddenly gone from her voice as her hand started brushing languidly through his hair, driving him completely insane….

This time, Xena's brows furrowed, her eyes glistening with unveiled jealousy…..That needy bitch simply refused to take a hint, let alone keep her hands to herself! Unconsciously, as if wanting to spite her and to brutally remind her just why her actions were so out of line, she slowly bent down and placed a delicate kiss on her God's lips, one that she was positive would capture his attention in the blink of an eye and at the same time effectively mark her territory…

"We won't be long. " she whispered warmly a mere moment later, but, just as she was about to pull back, Ares' other hand tangled in her long raven strands and kept her in place, deepening that feather like kiss that she had so innocently sensual offered, with a raw, ravenous hunger.

Something in the air shifted as their breaths mingled and their tongues began to duel- fighting for dominance- and despite having kissed her thousands of times before, the War God couldn't help wondering again **when** and most importantly** why** in the name of Chronos he had become so utterly possessive of her….? Not knowing her there, in his immediate reach had never been precisely to his liking, but this….this was getting a bit ridiculous, he had to admit it to himself.…. For crying out loud, she was one of the few women he had ever known that didn't really require protection- she was more than capable to take care of herself, and still, he gradually discovered that he couldn't ignore that imperious need to constantly know where she was and what it was she was doing…It was as if one single moment of inadvertence, one instant of unjustified carelessness from his part could snatch her away from him, and for some reason, that was inconceivable.

"Now that's what I call a proper kiss!" Nabucco's resonant voice broke the spell the very second the Gods's fingers gripped her hair even tighter and his tongue pushed even more demandingly into her wicked mouth, making her moan a little from the pressure. " Throw her on the table and fuck her brains out Bro!" he exclaimed at the top of his lungs, entranced by the rough, primal lust radiating from their tense bodies. " Ram your cock up her sweet cunt! Gods know, that's what I would do if I were you!"

"As I see it, you'd even fuck your own mother you twisted psychopath!" the Warrior Princess snapped, throwing the King a menacingly, bone chilling glare.

" Yeah baby! So much passion! Did you see the rage sparkling in her eyes, Ares?!" he shouted, licking his lips wantonly while his eyes began drifting away from her face and preferring to shamelessly settle on her breasts instead. " She's the right woman for you, that's for sure….Just what you needed! No wonder you chose **her **out of all those Greek harlots crawling at your feet!" he continued, much to his visibly scandalized wife's revolt… It was not enough that her lover was so bewitched with this mortal cunt- so charmed that he no longer gave her the usual attention- but now, her own husband also appeared enchanted with her!

Before she got the chance to articulate a slashing enough reply to burn Nabbucco's wings to a crisp nonetheless, time itself stopped for a moment, when, only an inch away from the King's ear, a knife whizzed by like the howling winter wind, burying itself inch-deep into the wall.

" If you ever call me a harlot again, I'll make sure to stick that blade right between those pretty brown eyes of yours, you degenerated Bastard! " Xena announced in an unusually calm tone given the content of her reply, her eyes still furious enough as to blacken up that statement though.

That being said, she swiftly turned around, and, together with her overly friendly host, they headed for the door, without exchanging one glance or one word about that little incident.

" Amytis!" Ares yelled, just as they were leaving the room.

The Queen immediately turned around, arching her eyebrows inquisitively at the God, her heart fluttering with expectation at what he was about to ask….

" Behave yourself!" he softly commanded, in a tone that made her stomach flip and her skin tingle- more a request than anything else- but judging by the look in his eyes, the Queen could easily tell that he was dead serious about it.

"That's a very special lady you have there…." the King remarked once they were alone, still staring in utter amazement at the knife. " You weren't kidding when you said that she can take care of herself."

"Trust me, I know what I'm talking about…"the response came, no trace of doubt in it.

" That fire in her eyes…..the danger excites her….."

" The danger, **and** a good challenge…"

" You're a lucky Bastard…!" the King chuckled, amused by the whole situation, but rubbing his chin pensively nonetheless. " Still, keep your eyes wide open while you're here…My lovely wife doesn't seem as crazy about her as you are."

" She wouldn't dare touch a hair on her head. I'd kill her in the blink of an eye."

"Words of love, Bro! Though, I do regret to inform you that I doubt she knows that….Anyway, let us hope for the best. Why don't we drink to your new flame?!" the King urged, pouring some more wine into the God's cup.

" Let us do just that!"

" And while we're at it, how about some young, tight pussy to go with that wine?! I've just received a new lot of slaves, earlier this morning. We could test them together…see if they were worth the price….? " Nabucco offered, certain that a refusal was out of the question. He was in for a big surprise though…

" No thanks…." was the short, adamant answer he grimly articulated.

" My, my! " the King shouted dramatically, trying hard to keep a straight face. " She does keep you on a tight leash doesn't she?! I've never thought I'd live to see this day….Can I laugh at it?"

" You can laugh all you want. That won't change the fact that my cock still hurts from how much she rode me last night." Ares bluntly retorted, letting out an amused chuckle, one that matched perfectly his friend's expression. "Still….you could do something for me…."

" Anything brother!"

" You could wrap those smooth lips of yours around my pole….Kiss its head and make it all better…Maybe lick my balls awhile…..? "

They both burst into a hysterical laughter as soon Ares was done talking, everything becoming even more amusing the moment when, busy ducking an apple the King had playfully thrown his way, Ares fell straight on his back with a loud thud, his legs spread wide open in the air .

" I can imagine how anxious you are about getting me to fulfill those secret fantasies Bro', but seriously, we'd better leave that to professionals." the King struggled to articulate, still laughing his heart out. " In the meantime, why don't you tell me again about that fight between Achilles and Hector?! For the love of Ishtar, I still can't believe I missed it!"


	13. Only fools play fair

As they exited the palace and headed towards the gardens, no words were actually spoken between the two rivals. They just walked casually- shoulder to shoulder- for a few long, uncomfortable minutes – their blank gazes firmly fixed to a far away point on the horizon as if an invisible battle was already taking place in some remote location only the two of them knew about and that would have been impossible to perceive for the rest of the mortals, anyway.

"So…what other passions do you have besides **war **and warfare, Xena?" the Queen finally broke the silence, giving her a quizzical look and actually managing to feign interest in the information.

" **Knitting**…I always do it in my spare time. I have an entire collection of sweaters and scarfs back in Greece. "she made sure to reply on the same honeyed tone the redheaded hottie had just used with her. " I've even knitted a blanket for my horse…" she added, not in the least concerned that the Queen might feel offended by her attitude.

Instead of appearing in any way insulted by her irony though, Amytis burst into a heartfelt laughter that definitely took the Chosen of War by surprise…She had put as much disdain as she possibly could in that line, and yet, it seemed like the soulless bitch didn't seem to mind….

"You have a great sense of humour- dark and dirty just like Ares. You two are a lot like each other" she commented, and almost immediately, Xena's expression turned from surprise to shock- not necessarily because of the strikingly kind remark her host had articulated, but more like because of the super large tiger that had jumped from the bushes right in the center of the alley. Way before the Warrior Princess even had the chance to blink, the imposing animal came running towards them.

In a split second, as time stopped flowing and everything around them froze, Xena wished she had brought her blade with her, analyzed the situation, got ready to face this totally unexpected threat and came up with a temporary backup plan – her sapphire eyes having already spotted a couple of high enough trees in which she could climb the second the situation became too tough for her to handle.

"Amyra! Hey there! Did you miss me, baby?! " the Queen's affectionate exclamation suddenly set everything in motion again, breaking her focus.

Next thing she knew, the redheaded beauty was fearlessly petting the tiger- that in the presence of its mistress appeared to behave more like a large cat than a beast. "Don't worry, Xena..." Amytis tried to calm down her guest, chuckling softly at just how tense her body had become in the face of danger . "…. unlike me, Amyra has been tamed from her birth. She won't bite, will you girl?! " she playfully inquired, her eyes firmly fixed on the deadly meat-eater who was now rubbing itself against her legs.

The Warrior Princess just arched an eyebrow at the woman's remark. So… she considered herself a predator ….That was just great! A good hunt always excited her!

"You can touch her if you want to. She has the fluffiest fur you could ever imagine…very soft." she invited, only to be met by a set of piercing disapproving eyes.

" Suit yourself…." the Queen simply continued, bending a bit and kissing the tiger's cold, wet nose, giggling happily when the large feline purred at the gesture.

"Are animals your passion?" the Chosen of War just had to ask, partly curious about the answer.

"Animals and flowers" she replied in that charming tone that had drawn Xena's attention starting with the very first moment she met her, one that made her appear to be the most vulnerable but adorable woman to have ever walked this earth. " Run along now, baby! Go play with the others!" she sweetly ordered the tiger, brushing her fingers deep into its thick fur one last time before- as if having actually understood the meaning of her words- faster than an arrow, the animal disappeared from sight as if it had never even been there.

"So that's why these gardens are so amazing…!" Xena complimented- an honest remark, given that no one in their righteous mind would have been as false as to deny that the surrounding landscape was of a breathtaking splendor.

" Why, thank you. I tried to recreate as much of my homeland as possible when I married Nabucco. I used to miss my lands terribly – still do, sometimes- and this horrible, dry place – one of the most depressing I have seen in all my life- hasn't particularly made it easy for me…I did my best…"

" You sure did…" Xena courteously agreed, gently caressing the light orange petals of a lily as she walked by it.

" There is always something I change though, every year. It keeps most of the slaves busy and out of my hair. Nabucco stubbornly insists to always have a bunch of them following me around wherever I go- despite the fact that the idea alone drives me crazy, not to mention their despicable presence." she stated, making a face as the words rolled off her tongue.

" He loves you. He's probably worried about your safety…."

" I'm immortal…" she casually specified- as if it were the most natural thing in the world- a barely perceptible but yet present frown darkening her flawless features when she read no reaction on her rival's face….So, Ares had told her….

" Immortals too can be killed. I'm sure the King is well aware of that…" the Warrior Princess made sure to remind her, sounding a bit more threatening than she had initially intended.

" Many have contemplated the perspective along the years….few have tried it….none of them is still alive…." the redheaded arrogantly retorted, smirking derisively at this ridiculous mortal who actually thought she could outsmart her.

" Are you a good fighter?" Xena subtly challenged, hoping to finally get the chance to wipe the entire garden with her. Oh, she was definitely going to teach this cocky slut a lesson about the value of modesty….one that she would remember for the rest of eternity if she was keen on living that long!

" No. " came the blunt reply that left her speechless for a few moments. " I happen to think that the use of physical strength is for brutes. " the Queen added, her smile only widening even more, much to the Warrior Princess' consternation…." But I do have a few tricks up my sleeve…."

" Oh really? Would those tricks match a sharp enough blade?" Xena sneered, rolling her eyes at the woman's naivety. She was obviously delusional.

" I don't know….why don't we find out,** Chosen of War? **Let's see if you're as good as Ares claims you are.**...**"

" Trust me, there's nothing I would like more. I'm afraid it wouldn't be a fair fight though…."

"Good- cause playing fair was the last thing I had in mind.." she cunningly provoked, signaling to a slave to bring her rival a sword.

Before she knew it, Xena's fingers were tightly clenched around the grip of the marvelously hand crafted weapon, a flash of murderous rage shining on the glassy surface of her mesmerizing azure moons.

" Come on. Give me your best shot…!" the Queen casually invited, barely stifling a laugh, and for a split second, the Warrior Princess couldn't help thinking if the Olympian had been completely honest about his ex lover's abilities….He had clearly mentioned that she was not a Goddess, just an immortal- which pretty much meant no godly powers, so thus, she couldn't have been an actual threat….What was wrong with that picture then? Did she have a death wish or something?! Or…was she trying to frame her?! ….To cleverly portray the traumatized victim and accuse her of an assault of some kind?!

Patiently waiting for her adversary to charge and quickly noticing her hesitation, Amytis felt the need to intervene…

" You're thinking too much…. overly analyzing the situation...And though, I'm almost certain Ares told you that sometimes, in the heat of the battle, the only right thing to do is **act**…."

That was the last drop! Not only that silly, superior grin annoyed the Tartarus out of Xena, but for that Babylonian bitch to actually have the nerve to quote **her** patron God and to try to teach **her** – out of all people- a thing or two about strategy and warfare, that was too much!

With a piercing enough war cry to make all eyes in their immediate vicinity focus on the little show they were lively staging, Xena suddenly flipped into the air, ready to slash this irritating woman to pieces, only to realize, when she was about five yards from the ground, that she was…stuck there….floating, while from the ground, the highly amused Queen was slowly waving her hands in the direction she wanted the Warrior Princess to follow…..Much to her desperation, unable to do anything to resist the energetic wave that was now dragging her forcefully towards her left, Xena fought vainly against the magic that gradually transported her right above a massive water fountain, and, as soon as she had reached the center of it, with a discreet sign of her finger, the Amytis let her fall, splashing everything around her.

To make matters even worse, as fury reached impossible heights throughout each and every cell of her soaking wet form, the dark haired Warrior discovered that the blade she had been tightly holding all this time, had turned into nothing more and nothing less than a black velvety rose, identical with the ones that her patron god always gave her…..

" My favorite …" the Queen explained, gazing wistfully at the unique flower her rival was now clutching, a melancholic smile softening her features. " The first time Ares offered me one, I was absolutely amazed by its unearthly beauty…." she confessed, and though up to that moment, ever since Lyceus had died, Xena could swear that nothing had managed to actually hurt her any more, that very second she felt as if something had crushed her heart….

As she opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out- she didn't really know what in Tartarus she could have said anyway- and, as Amytis closed in the distance between them and graciously offered a hand to help her out of the fountain, she mechanically took it, the pain in her eyes being way too intense to even bother to dissimulate it.

A wave of the Queen's hand later, and the Warrior Princess was perfectly dry again.

" I guess you really were serious when you said that you had no intention to play fair….I had no idea that you were a Goddess…." she remarked once she finally found her voice.

"I'm no Goddess…" the Queen replied, arching a patronizing eyebrow at her."... nor I desire to be, though the offer has been made…**I'm a witch**…..Oh, and Xena….only fools play fair. "

**DON'T DESPAIR NOW ROMANTIC READERS:))) THE WRITER HAS A ROMANTIC PLAN :)) **


	14. Dress to impress

The way back to the palace proved to be at least as equally awkward as the one towards the gardens - the same graveyard silence giving the Warrior Princess the impression that they had been walking for miles until they finally reached the base of those accursed stairs again….This time, there was one slight difference between their lack of interaction though- apart from the almost palpable tension floating into the air- the fact that if right before their little journey had started, Xena's heart was still in one piece, now she pretty much felt as if someone had bitten a considerably large chunk out of it, and it hurt so much that she could hardly think straight anymore.

" Here we are…" the Goddess announced, smiling lovingly at her guest- such a sweet, candid smile that one would have never suspected- not in a million years- that one tiny spark was all those two needed to start a full scale war against each other, but, on the contrary , any outside observer would have naturally assumed that they were actually the best of friends- and that ludicrous falsity only made the Warrior Princess want to punch this picture perfect woman dead in the face. The contempt she generally felt for this category of people had always abundantly transpired through each and every pore of her skin- there was no possible way to hide it, but neither did she have the desire to do it. ….

" Imaliah!" Amytis called out, and the very following second a young slave rushed by her Queen's side, waiting for her any command.

" See lady Xena to the wardrobe and help her pick out an outfit for tonight's festival." she ordered, her eyes still firmly fixed on the Warrior Princess' harsh gaze, obviously rejoicing in that ocean of pain and doubts she could easily read on their troubled surface.

"No need to bother. Ares will provide everything I need" her rival commented, sounding a bit less enthusiastic than she had been as they started their walk. From the Queen's point of view, that was just fantastic!

"As much as I agree with the fact that Ares has many, many skills, take it from me darling, dancing costumes aren't precisely his forte.." the redheaded said, laughing merrily, at the Warrior Princess' silly idea.

"Dancing costumes?!" Xena inquired, a solemn frown marking her face at the information.

" Yeah….the festival of Ishtar has always been a dancing celebration during which we honor our mother Goddess through the spectacular, uninhibited show off of our bodies….so we 'd like you to look at your best…You have to dress to impress. " she pointed out, much to Xena's irritation. " You'd be surprised what a proper gown can do…." she proceeded to explain, one of her eyebrows streaking upward at noticing her rival's expression. This was waaay easier than she had thought it would be….a piece of cake really….

"That's very kind of you." the Warrior Princess retorted, acid poring from her lips in spite of that equally bright smile she had offered in return.

"Feel free to choose anything you want- from clothes and jewelry to whatever else you consider necessary. I'm sure you'll find something to your liking; it shouldn't be too hard given that we pretty much have the same size- **not to mention the same tastes**…." she highlighted implyingly, deliberately ignoring Xena's snort of disbelief . "And one more thing….I know that when Ares wrapped you in this sack he likes to call a dress, he probably intended to keep his prized possession away from prying eyes, but uh….make sure to show some flesh, Xena….most women will be hardly wearing anything at all…I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable…."

" I'm flattered to know that you have my best interest at heart." the Warrior Princess laughed- a bitter laugh really that gave away a bit too much about her feelings on the matter.

" Ares deserves the best there is….so…." the Queen stung, and it was pretty obvious that she wasn't talking about her ex lover's Chosen. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to make sure that everything is ready or at least close to ready for the event. See you tonight…." she added, mockingly blowing her still furious adversary a kiss and thus bringing the conversation to a screeching halt. Turning around, she graciously started to walk away, a discreet sign- made for her slave's eyes only - ordering her to keep her mouth shut- just in case that she would be confronted with the possible avalanche of questions that she had anticipated from the overly curious Warrior Princess..

"Please follow me, lady Xena…." the slave addressed her, and soon the two women were walking down the same dark, labyrinthine corridors the architectural logic of which Xena couldn't possibly understand. There were just so many of them, and so confusingly linked with a bewildering multitude of twists and turns that one could have definitely got either forever lost or terribly frustrated before reaching their destination.

"Have you been serving the Queen for a long time, Imaliah?" Xena asked, hesitating a second before uttering the girl's name, finding it a bit hard to recall it.

" Seven years, my lady." the slave answered, in a respectful, humble voice, placing the torch she had been holding –and that the Warrior Princess' couldn't recall to have actually taken from somewhere- on one of the walls, and, removing a tiny, golden key from her pocket, she used it to open a small, beautifully crafted oaken door, and courteously invited the honorable guest in.

" Thank you….." Xena softly articulated- the rest of the words she had meant to utter dying on her lips the minute she entered the surprisingly spacious chamber- probably as vast as the throne room itself- she silently remarked, scrutinizing the area with wide open eyes.

"Pretty impressive huh?" the slave asked with a warm, genuine smile, reading the utter shock on Xena's face, and there was nothing left for the Warrior Princess to do but nod her head in agreement….That room was indeed something else…..filled with shelves and rods on which several thousand items must have been displayed- an absolutely stunning collection of all types of clothes one could think of and definitely belonging to different eras judging by the materials used and by their overall aspect.

" Are these all hers?" she stupidly heard herself asking- of course they were hers, who else could have afforded such luxury?!

"Yes my Lady. Well, this is the main wardrobe….there are two more chambers in the back…The entire jewelry collection can be found behind that other door.…" she kindly let Xena know, chuckling lightly at the guest's reaction.

" Who even needs so many clothes?!" the Warrior Princess whispered, while walking absently through the racks , grid walls and hangers displaying the most fabulous dresses she had seen in her life….

" The Queen is very exigent when it comes to her appearance. " the slave felt obliged to clarify, but judging by her tone, she herself didn't believe that.

" I see…." Xena simply replied, casually feeling the soft satin of a superb lavender dress that a life size wooden mannequin was proudly wearing.

" The dancing costumes are over there" the slave zealously showed her, pointing towards a round clothing rack situated but a few yards away- while already taking a few steps towards it- but hardly had she sketched the intent to do it that she fell abruptly to her knees, both hands clutched defensively around her neck- inside of which something felt to have broken…..

"I've just cut off the flow of blood to your brain….You'll be dead in less than 30 seconds unless you tell me what I want to know…Answer my questions and I will be generous enough as to let you live. Have I made myself clear!?"

"Yes." the petrified in fear slave struggled to answer, without giving her options a second thought.

A swift movement of the Warrior Princess' skillful fingers later, and the poor girl was able to breathe normally again, but despite the fact that she no longer appeared to be in any immediate danger, Xena's furious glare kept her glued to that floor, and she left out an uncontrollable shriek when she was brutally grabbed by the arm and pulled up to her feet.

" Is Ares a regular guest here at the palace?" the interrogatory soon started with the first thing the Warrior Princess seemed to be interested in.

" Yes…" the slave murmured, with the delay of a brain –dead person.

" How regular…..?"

" He used to come by a lot…but I haven't seen him in quite awhile now…."

" Define** awhile**….." Xena ordered, raising her voice a notch, frustrated by the girl's sluggishness.

" A…a few mo…months…almost a year maybe?…." she stammered. "That doesn't mean he hasn't dropped by though…Maybe he went straight to the Queen's private chambers….I couldn't know - I just haven't seen him at the monthly events and parties…."

" What do you know abut his relationship with the Queen?" Xena anxiously asked, and her heart just stopped beating for a few seconds while waiting for the slave's answer.

" Not much…" the information finally came, in a low, trembling voice, and the girl looked guiltily aside- a reckless gesture that only made the Chosen of War feel compelled to drag the words out of her ….by force…Consequently, her fingers clutched into the girl's hair almost on their own, with an unusual fury that- as always- gave her a very rewarding sense of power over her defenseless victim.

" I wouldn't hold back anything if I were you….."

" My Lady please, have mercy….the Queen is going to kill me…." she begged, tears streaming freely down her face now.

" Maybe I'll decide to do her a favour and kill you myself first! Now tell me what I want to know…"

" They fuck ..a lot….The other slaves say that she's madly in love with him and that he's crazy about her…." she burst out, sounding really freaked out now.

" Is he now? " Xena rhetorically inquired, her stomach twisting into a knot and her throat constricted upon hearing those last details. "And just what does the King feel about this?"

" He doesn't seem to mind…..At a number of orgies they even fucked her together…."

" Aha… What was she planning to wear tonight.?" she finally demanded to know- as right out of the blue, an idea flashed into her mind.

" I have no clue….."

" Well, just take a wild guess then and make sure you pray to all Gods and Goddesses you get it right, cause if you don't, I'll twist every stone in Babylon to find you and I'll strangle you with that costume…"

" The red one is her favourite! " the slave half screamed, her sobs becoming even more violent than before.

" This one?" the dark haired Warrior asked, arching an eyebrow at the outfit.

"Yes…."

" Ok….Now we're finally getting somewhere." she replied, in an actual effort to calm her victim down. " What jewelry?"

" They're in the other room. "

"Go fetch them for me….And don't make me come after you…."

"Yes my Lady!" came the terrified answer and in less than a minute she had brought with her everything that the Warrior Princess had requested.

" Perfect. Take them all to my room and leave them on the bed. "

" Bu….but my Lady….What am I going to tell the Queen? She'll ask about them tonight."

" She said I could choose anything I wanted, didn't she? "

An hesitant "Yes. " was immediately spoken, much to Xena's content.

" It seems to me that you have nothing to worry about …as long as you keep that pretty mouth of yours shut. " she threatened, and the slave just nodded vigorously, the words catching in her throat.

" Good. Run along now…." War's Chosen commanded, and hardly had she finished her sentence that, with the speed of light the girl stormed out the door, leaving a finally satisfied Xena behind…

" You were right, Amytis…..Only fools play fair….."


	15. A leap of faith

" Xena….good to have you back. I was a few minutes away from losing my mind! My friend here hasn't shut up about you since you left the room. You must have done a pretty good job last night…." the King started, the instant he laid eyes on her.

" You have no idea…." the Warrior Princess retorted through clenched teeth, without looking particularly thrilled about his statement. In all appearances, Nabbuco was a slooooow learner.

" I wish I did though…Anyway, just in case you had even the slightest doubt about this, let me just tell you that you have him completely wrapped around your little finger…" he stubbornly specified, giving the War God a forced smile once he met his scandalized gaze. " …eating out of the palm of your hand…" he muttered the conclusion, making sure that she got the point.

" Hey! Can't a God trust anyone these days?! You weren't supposed to tell her that! It was a secret! Now she has the upper hand !" Ares decided to humor his buddy, acting as if it was all a joke…

" Damn! Why didn't you say so?!" the King quickly replied, trying to appear at least as equally panicked as his friend was- while the Warrior Princess kept looking at the duo as if they had a screw loose.

" You are definitely crazy…**both of you**….Still, there's no need to freak out, **Ares**… " she stated, directing her attention towards the War God. "….he didn't tell me anything knew…I own you, and that's a fact.** You** know it**, I** know it…"she stressed, arching sharp eyebrow at him, leaving both men speechless for a few seconds.

"Damn! You're really screwed Bro!" Nabucco exclaimed, trying hard not to laugh at Ares' suddenly constipated expression …

"What!? Did I hear you well?!" the Olympian finally fought to defend his masculine pride- or what was left of it- his publicly wounded ego screaming for retribution.

"Hang on a minute Bro'... " the King felt the need to intervene "...as thrilled as I am about the perspective of seeing her humiliate you even more, I really have to ask …." he said, shifting his gaze to Xena " ...Just out of curiosity...where is my wife? I sure hope she didn't need medical care..." he questioned, gurgling out the last words, silently wondering if there was any truth in them...He knew Amytis better than anyone- or so he thought- and he was well aware that she could effortlessly make even the most calm person in the world lose her temper.

" She went to check on the preparations for the festival…."

"Oh shit! By the cock of Anu! " he shouted, slapping his forehead with an almost impressive force- that only left Xena wishing she had been the one to do it -" That reminds me that I haven't talked to my generals yet…. Security matters…" he explained, getting up from the table and heading towards the door.

"That's right….Run you blabbing traitor….! " Ares cynically accused, seeing right through his little act.

" We both know I'm doing you a favor Bro….By the way, I still think you should fuck her on the table….It would be damn hot! Chicks dig that, take my word for it, I know what I'm talking about!" he advised, and before actually getting a response, he was gone.

" So….think you own me, huh?!" Ares inquired after a short pause, gently caressing his Princess' leg, and he immediately noticed how stiff her body had become at the contact- Now that was something he didn't like...

" I don't just **think** it, I **know** it…." she casually replied, making an effort to hide the sadness that had taken over her soul after those unusual hours spent with the Queen.

" Well, you seem very sure of yourself, so there must be a grain of truth in that…." he answered on the same light, jocular tone, pretending that he had missed that subtle note of irritation in her voice that rushed to confirm what he had already suspected- something was bothering her….He naturally assumed though that Nabucco's stupid remarks were the reason for her indisposition. " So uh….how was your walk?" he asked, figuring that a change of topic was in order.

She shrugged.

"Very…**educative, **I guess "

His reaction was the anticipated one, of course...It took Xena but a split second to notice how his smile swiftly transformed into a frown- one that only deepened as his brain began translating the meaning of that line to him. It had been a very suggestive choice of words indeed, and then there was that shade of...**something, **still present in her eyes...

" Amytis is a very…**gifted** woman…" she explained, completely ignoring just how uncomfortable his touch was making her, struggling to focus solely on pouring herself a glass of wine. Seconds later, she divided her attention between the long, seemingly endless sips that followed and her absent play with a lock of hair.

The War God parted his lips to speak, but no words came out- obviously not really convinced that the kind of reply his Princess was actually expecting from him was the same one he had in mind. In the end, was he supposed to agree or disagree with such type of statement? Yeah, the Queen was certainly gifted **and then some,** but was it wise to admit that out loud?

" Ok…if you say so." he finally said, taking a mental note at just how tight her fingers had clutched around that cup…She was definitely nervous….or angry….or…..upset…".Anyway, I'm glad you're back…." he continued, sounding utterly sincere about it, and he really was- it was a hard thing to miss really, especially given how lively and alert his beautiful amber eyes had gotten ever since Nabucco had signaled her presence, and that obsessive attention with which he had been following her each and every move...there was a very discreet- barely expressed, but unquestionably there - feeling of joy on his face, that one had to be blind not to notice...

"Missed me?" she inquired, on a rather cold, dispassionate tone that was bound to get to him..

" As a matter a fact **yes…**." he replied, rising from his chair, taking the cup from her hand and placing it back on the table. " I always miss you when you're not around…." he added, in a low, husky tone that left no room for doubts." I've been meaning to show you something….." he then added with a wide, naughty grin . " It's a surprise…"

"I don't like surprises…." she spat harshly, finding it hard to even look him in the eyes after what Amytis had maliciously revealed to her….The image of him offering that accursed bitch roses-** black roses**\- was killing her. It was like a knife to the heart and it killed her even more to have no other choice but to finally admit it to herself that she was truly and irrevocably tormented by the perspective of him being still in love with her…..

"You'll like this one, I promise…." he softly breathed out before capturing her lips in a sweet, delicate kiss that only clouded her mind even more…

"What is it?" she inquired, pushing him slightly away when they broke apart, wanting to put some distance between them, but his arm- now wrapped securely around her waist prevented her from acting on those thoughts.

"Well…it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you now, would it? You'll have to see it for yourself…." he answered, gently caressing her face, taking a long, pensive look in those hypnotizing blue moons that had him completely bewitched…..His first instinct had been correct- she was indeed troubled by something, he could clearly see it now…

" Where are we going?" she just had to ask when she noticed that he was about to transport them somewhere- but without actually seeming interested in the answer though.

" You'll see soon enough….."

**XXX **

Seconds later, as Xena felt solid ground under her feet again and thus opened her eyes, she found herself standing on the edge of a pit, so deep that its bottom could not be seen.

The War God's arms were still wrapped protectively around her- just like they always were when they travelled through the aether- but this time, there was something more about that embrace….It felt almost odd...almost desperate... He was holding her to his chest as if he were afraid that by letting her go, she would somehow use the opportunity to vanish from sight…forever out of his reach. It was ridiculous and she knew it, but that had been her first interpretation of his gesture.

" What is this?" she asked, without moving an inch, her gaze fixed on that dangerously close abyss- stretching almost right up to her feet.

" Your surprise is down there….." he murmured, kissing the top of her head, and she just couldn't shake the sensation that there was a catch attached to that line….

" What?! "

" Well….it's been cautiously hidden from mortal eyes…..It has been that way for millennia….."

" And how exactly do you expect me to see it?" she snorted, shaking her head at what she still couldn't fully understand.

" Well….the answer is obvious don't you think….?"

" No." she plainly answered, thinking that he had to be still joking….

" We'll jump.." he clarified, a bemused chuckle escaping his lips.

" Jump?!" she exclaimed, throwing him a puzzled glance over the shoulder. "Are you crazy?! I'm not going to jump down there!"

" Why not? Is the mighty Warrior Princess **scared** by a big black hole, by any chance?!" he challenged, pressing all the right buttons to make her change her mind.

" No….I'm just not….suicidal…yet….." she pointed out, instinctively trying to take one step away from the pit, but Ares's firm hold once again prevented her from doing that.

"Well, I'm not asking you to commit suicide…Plus, you'll be jumping in there **with me**…"

" Oh...that's comforting! Why didn't you say so ?! I mean, what in the name of Hades could go wrong? You're a god, I'm a goddess…..Oh wait….I almost forgot…**.I'm only mortal**….."she barked, completely opposed to the idea.

"**Not for long**…." he whispered into her ear, and there was something in his voice that sent shivers down her spine…-something dark but enticing, something oozing power and lust- that unique mixture that she was mentally addicted to and that her brain simply refused to believe it true. " Call it a leap of faith if you will…." he added, and as tempted as Xena was about screaming that** yes**, her previous interaction with Amytis, that absolutely frustrating conversation, suddenly began replaying in her mind, cruelly playing tricks on her…..Over and over again she could hear it, driving her crazy….

" Are you asking me **to trust you**….**enough as to put my life in your hands?"**

" Well…if you really feel the need to be poetic about it, yes, I guess that's what I'm asking…."

She took her sweet time in answering, but she finally did, much to Ares' delight. He just couldn't get enough of her when she ended up doing the exact opposite of what he would have liked her to do...It was utterly unnerving at times- no point in denying it- but that was the whole beauty of their relationship...He was damn tired of people always saying **yes **to him, of acting as if they were all string puppets! And this woman... she was...she was something else entirely...Nothing ever seemed to please her, she was almost impossible to figure out and it took him forever to get her at least close to where he wanted...she was perfect...

" Ok...so let me tell you how were' re gonna do this" she smugly began, her mind already set up on a big, fat NO. " You'll need to answer some questions first …and then, I will decide if to throw you in that hole right away or not…How's that?"

"In which of the two scenarios is you jumping down there with me, included….?"

" Neither one. "

" Where's the fun in that?"

" It's fun for me…."

" Don't be mean, Princess! " he pouted, looking for the right words to say. " I'll tell you what….I'll answer whatever questions you have in store for me and then, if my performance pleases you enough, you'll close those heart melting blue eyes of yours for a few seconds, and I'll give you the time of your life….."

"Why do men always say that?" she unwillingly burst into laughter, hearing the ridiculously common ending of his proposal.

"Ladies find it sexy." he laughed back, kissing her forehead when she turned around in his arms.

"Actually it sounds horribly….cliché " she argued, rolling her eyes at him.

" Just fire way….What kind of thoughts have been plaguing my Princess' overly active brain lately? " he added seriously, searching her eyes for the answer that he knew he was not going to get.

" I was supposed to ask the questions, remember?"

" I'm all ears…..Well, maybe not **all **ears, but go ahead, darling, you have my full, undivided attention…."

" Good. It was about time."


	16. 300 years

"….Why didn't you tell me?!" she snarled after a small pause meant to calm at least a little bit the fury in her voice. She was hurt and it showed though, the War God could see it clearly now, and the way in which she diverted her gaze once he tried to see beyond her words, definitely triggered more alarm signals in his brain than he could count.

"Tell you what?!" he asked, somewhat concerned by her attitude, making an effort not to touch her the moment his fingers twitched, eager to caress her face.

" About Amytis!" she barked through gritted teeth, trying hard to restrain herself from shouting- despite the fact that she felt so frustrated with this entire situation that she could hardly keep a low tone.

" What about her?!" he inquired, narrowing his eyes at her.

" That she's **a witch**!" she screamed, finally snapping- irked that she had to spell it out for him.

" I didn't really think it was necessary!" he simply stated, tilting his head a little, drinking her in. Anger made her incredibly attractive – that dark fury glistening in her eyes, so similar with his own, was always a treat. And still, he couldn't help wondering, why on earth would such detail upset her so much!?

" You didn't think it was necessary?!** I asked you**?!" she replied, an annoyed look on her beautiful face, in her turn wondering if he actually had a clear idea on how much his relation with that accursed woman was bothering her.

"No…you see, you asked me if she was a **Goddess**….and I can clearly remember having…."

"And would it have killed you to finish your sentence with a **BUT**?" she interrupted, slapping his chest and pushing him furiously away the moment he tried to reduce the distance between them , despite the fact that she was still standing on the edge of the precipice.

" Yeah well…..what can I say? Maybe that will teach you to pay attention to what's going on around you for a change…." he admonished, irritated with her attitude, and more than that, deeply frustrated because this only proved how little he understood about how her mind worked….Regardless of how much he struggled to anticipate her thoughts, moves and reactions, his attempts always seemed to end with an epic failure that drove him absolutely crazy...

"And what is that suppose to mean?!" she attacked, sensing the otherwise subtle sarcasm in his voice.

"It means that while you two were nearly kissing each other at the table- you were that close- your pretty baby blues were focused on anything but her lame parlor tricks! " he explained, observing how each and every word made something click inside her brain.

"First, she changed her wine from red to white and then she turned an orange into a grape. For crying out loud, Xena! How could you possibly have missed that?! It did happen under your very nose, it's not like she did it all under the table!"

The Warrior Princess cast him an almost embarrassed glance before trying to move past him. Their nearness felt suffocating now that his eyes were glued on her, analyzing her every reaction….She was unable to find a decent excuse for that accusation though….He might have been right…she had been day dreaming throughout the entire lunch after all, her mind restlessly dissecting everything she had seen happening between him and the Queen, creating countless scenarios about their affair, asking herself a million questions and bending over backwards to find a plausible answer for at least a half of them- a futile experiment after all...

" Seriously! She could have as well worn a label on her forehead, saying **Hey Xena, I'm a witch, **and even then, I do have my doubts that you…."

" Ok! I got the point!" she yelled, glaring daggers at him. She hated to be patronized and for some reason, whenever it came from him, she perceived it as being unbearably humiliating.

" Anyway….now you know …..So uh….what did you two talk about that was so…**educative**….?" he inquired, curiosity eating away at him….He could tell Amytis was up to something from the very moment he heard that invitation, but at the same time, he knew that she was smart enough not to cross him….Any disobedience would have only affected their crumbling relationship even more and she wouldn't have risked it for the world. The wall between them was as high as a mountain anyway- there was no need to add any extra bricks to it.

" Small talk….Nothing important really…." his Princess quickly answered, looking aside, not particularly thrilled about having to share their hurtful conversation with him.

"**Small talk**…If I didn't know better, I'd say that women are incapable of actually doing small talk…Quite the contrary, they are the only species known so far skilled enough to plot even against the universe itself by simply exchanging a few apparently meaningless lines….So do forgive my skepticism…."

" Men….always so suspicious…." she joked, arching a sharp brow at him, a slightly flirtatious smile trying to determine him to drop the subject…..The God didn't appear to be willing to let her off the hook just yet though.

" So uh….what exactly did she say to you that got you so…edgy…..?"

" You mean apart of opening my eyes and showing me that you're not as special as I thought you were?" she bit, obviously not appreciating the fact that he was pressuring her into confessing something she wasn't comfortable with.

" Yeah….Though, I must say, it's particularly intriguing how one single conversation with a person that you've just met can shatter to pieces the image you had of me….." he replied, ignoring that unfamiliar, stabbing pain that made him bite his lower lip with a primal, visible ferocity…..

" It is , isn't it? It sure says a lot about just how much you still need to work to earn my trust."

" Hmmm…..I assumed I had your trust the moment you pledged yourself to me…There's no greater proof of trust than that….." he lowly remarked, the sadness in his voice taking the Warrior Princess literally by surprise.

She chose not to answer his question right away, for she still wasn't precisely sure what exactly it had been that had pushed her to take such radical decision back then….Yes, she had wanted revenge against Cortese like she had never wanted anything else in her life, but come to think about it, she could have easily come up with a plan to get even with that jerk all by herself- she didn't need to be as drastic as to swear her allegiance to the God of War-…..And yet, when the opportunity presented itself, she took it without the slightest hesitation- as if she had been waiting for his offer her entire life, and though she had asked him for a few days to think about his offer, she had never really considered the possibility of a refusal ….She had only meant to keep him on pins and needles, but that was it…..

" Sometimes trust can be misplaced…"she finally voiced, her eyes quickly fixing the ground when, for the first time since the day she joined him, he gave her that dark, murderous gaze that was only destined to the most meaningless of his victims…..Something must have really upset him , she said to herself, while already voicing her following question.

" You said that you and Amytis are no longer together…." she stated, swiftly diverting his attention from the venomous words that had been freed from the prison of her mouth, having no idea that what had actually done the trick and melted his anger had been the tension reverberating from her aura.

" And?"

" What happened?" she inquired, in a business like tone, doing her best not to appear too interested in the subject…..Nonetheless, despite her efforts, Ares could see right through her…. - she couldn't possibly realize it, but at this point she had become everything she had been struggling to avoid being: an open book….

" What did she tell you?" he asked in his turn, his balled up fists instantly letting Xena know that she had hit a nerve….She couldn't really tell if that was good news or bad news….

" It doesn't matter. I want to hear your own version of the story." she briskly replied, suddenly nervous, those few scenarios already whirling inside her head, -none of them heart friendly- doing a number on her.

" What does that have to do with us again? …Or with your **misplaced trust** …? " he asked, sounding bit too defensive for his Chosen's liking.

" Just answer the damn question …" she spat, and he just couldn't help a smirk at her irritation….Here it was...**jealousy**…again….It was an unmistakable feeling- he knew it as well as she did….

This time, despite her brutal reactions to his previous attempts, he cut in the distance between them until there was no place for her to go. She could either accept his nearness or …jump…..He didn't touch her though, he didn't even sketch the slightest intention to do so, and yet, her heart was drumming so loudly now inside her chest that he could almost hear it….He could certainly pick on its rhythm, and the wildly pulsating vein in her neck was the impossible to deny confirmation he had been secretly looking for…..

" I'd say it was also a case of **misplaced trust**….She did something behind my back….I didn't like it- end of the story. " he casually answered, his eyes narrowing at a memory that was obviously still bothering him.

" Was it recent…your …separation…?"

" Pretty recent….." he admitted, taking a mental note at how the breath caught in her throat at the answer. " A few months….." he continued while she was already doing the maths…." Right after I met you….." he ended, cupping her chin and forcing her to look at him..

" And….uh…she still holds out hope…" she bitterly remarked, even if she hadn't initially intended to allow so much sadness transpire from her words.

To her unspoken revolt, his answer came out particularly short and thus unsatisfying.

" Yes. "

She just stared at him for a few seconds, not really knowing whether to go on with her interrogatory or to just drop it and save whatever was left of her pride….

" What else would you like to know?" he questioned, as if reading the indecision in her eyes. " Just say it…." he whispered the encouragement in her ear, pulling her to his chest so that she could at least have the comfort of not having to face him as she said it…..

" Was she…. **important** to you?" she murmured, stressing that word that was actually meant to replace the one thing she hadn't been able to voice….Even so, she held her breath while waiting for an answer.

" Yes she was…..for quite some time…."he confessed, kindly sparing her the agony of having to wait for too long…Ultimately, it proved to be pure torture to hear him utter it…"Xena…" he continued, immediately feeling how rigid her body had turned in his arms…." At one point, you'll have to accept the fact that in my long…..**extensively long** existence, there have been a few women that…uh…."

He stopped, not really knowing how to phrase it right.

" I get it….." she responded, without finding the strength to leave his embrace and search for his gaze.

" She made a difference in my life….she made me feel alive in a time when I was kinda wishing I hadn't been…" he explained, but that only seemed to hurt her even more.

" Did you love her?" she bluntly asked, casting him an almost desperate look.

" That's a big word….." he answered with a soft, genuine smile, gently caressing her cheek now. " I wouldn't call it** love**…"

" You spent 300 years with her…" she barely found her voice to whisper, immediately embarrassed once that line came out of her mouth…..She had literally sounded like a brokenhearted teenager…..What was she thinking….?

" More or less... All your answers are down there, by the way..." he tempted, pointing towards the pit. " Jump with me…." -an even more irresistible invitation this time, uttered on a dangerously sexy tone that made the blood run even faster in her veins.

"Fine." she hesitantly agreed, but, way before her brain had the chance to reproach her anything, with remarkable easiness, the War God had swept her up into his arms, throwing himself at a dazzling speed into the welcoming embrace of that creepy, engulfing darkness that looked strikingly similar to the entrance to Tartarus- or so the Bards had described it- a frightening abyss that appeared to have no end.

"Hold your breath…" was the last thing she heard him say….


	17. Dark secrets

"Hold your breath…"

"What?" and that was all she got to say before- through that thick, unappealing darkness that surrounded them- their bodies hit the surface of an ice cold water with the speed of the bullet, forcing Xena's mouth to open instinctively in shock at the nearly freezing temperature that had caused every single muscle in her body to contract in pain.

" 'Told you to hold your breath." he paternally scolded, appearing slightly amused though by the uncharacteristic desperation with which- three minutes of intense swimming later- definitely the longest three minutes of her life- she was inhaling large gulps of air that just didn't seem to be enough, judging by the impressive distance that her survival instinct had forced her to cover, cruelly but wisely preventing her from filling her nearly exploding lungs with oxygen.

The pressure had been indeed almost fatal for her frail, mortal body….If it hadn't been for Ares' divine presence who had cautiously projected an energetic shield around her-thus keeping her close to safe while draconically pulling her after him through those murky, intertwining underwater caves and passages- she would have certainly drowned, her form effortlessly crushed by the excessively high pressure as they kept heading deeper and deeper into that seemingly never ending abyss.

"You could have said it sooner, don't you think?" she angrily snapped, once she was able to string a sentence together. " I'm actually starting to believe…" she began-on the same note of indignation, narrowing her mesmerizing blue eyes at him- just to remain speechless when she finally glanced around….Her jaw literally dropped at the amazing sight she had before her, and whatever she had intended to say, everything was automatically erased from her mind, for nothing else could have registered anyway, nothing that was outside of that incredible underwater universe, so different from everything she had seen up to that moment.…..

To all appearances, they were in some sort of cavern, but this was not an ordinary miracle of nature, not by a long shot- not when its walls were literally embroidered with leaves and flowers made out of any gemstone the mortal or immortal mind could think of ….

" Quite impressive huh? The first time I saw this place I could hardly believe it was real." the War God stated, swimming a bit closer to her, thrilled to see that she was as impressed about it as he had anticipated it.

"Are these…..?" she hardly found her voice to question, hypnotized by the mysterious, dark soft blue light glimmering throughout the place, giving every petal a very special , unusual glow…

"Emeralds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds, black onyx, moon stones, ambers , amethyst, pearls, blood-stones, tourmaline, peridots, garnets, you name it…..they are all here…" he specified, his eyes caressing her with a gaze that was tender and anxious at the same time.

"How is this even possible? Who could have..…? They do appear to have been hand made…." she concluded, swimming hurriedly towards the closest wall and carefully analyzing one of the flowers.

The jewel she had chosen to inspect was a dark purple, trumpet shaped petunia, with petals as soft as silk even though they were clearly made out of a rare combination of amethyst, taaffeite and spinel….The vitreous leaves were also an enchantment for the eyes, the light translucent jadeite stone and the tourmaline that had been used to carve them, resulting in an unique piece of art that would have taken anyone's breath away.

"Every single one of them. Someone must have been very, very bored to carve all this...It must have taken forever…" he replied with a chuckle, watching his Princess' every reaction, rejoicing at every gasp of surprise escaping her temptingly kissable coral lips whenever her bright moons would discover a new flower, even more astonishing than the previous one…

" There must be thousands of them !" she exclaimed, confusion painted on her face.

" Millions actually…." he corrected. "And that, without counting the blades of grass and the trees…" he added, casting a pensive glance in the direction of the impressively realistic maples, citrus trees, myrtles, hop bushes, fringe trees and magnolias dominating the place, growing seemingly out of nowhere- for the cutting limestone and dolomite rocks would have naturally offered only little or no support to any type of plant, no matter how small.

" Anyway, let's get you out of the water first . The last thing I want is for you to catch a cold." he advised, wrapping a protective arm around her waist before he gently pulled her with him towards the terrace, where, to her immeasurable surprise, she came across another detail just as surprising as the others…As her hands touched the soft sand of the unusually sparkling beach stretching on the large terrace situated somewhere above the cavern lake, she realized that the fine particles she was feeling under her palms as the God helped her up, was actually gold…**gold dust**….- tones of it given its thick layer-….What was even more peculiar about it than the reason of its presence though, was that it didn't stick to her hands, and, looking down , she discovered that there was no sign of footprints…..The minute she took another step, the previous one simply vanished, as if no one had ever been there…..

"This is ….unusual….…." she commented, more to herself than for Ares to hear, silently wondering what could have been the use of such fantastic but eerie place…

" What would you like to wear? I know how much you hated that dress…." the War God finally asked, with a wave of his hand dematerializing those wet clothes from her flawless from, sounding half apologetic as he said it- but the sight of her, naked like that before him definitely changed his expression from almost humble to lecherous. His suggestively lifted eyebrows left no room for doubts- he would have fucked her then and there without a second thought, and he would have personally covered her in gold dust just for the sheer pleasure of licking her body clean…

" A simple satin gown. " she stated rather absently, still too taken aback by the supernatural charm of this well hidden, underground world.

" Dark red?"

"Whatever." she answered, but he could easily see it in her eyes- she was more than comfortable with the color he had chosen for her. Also, he couldn't help sketching a smile at the awareness that she had unconsciously started to have the same preferences as he did. For some impossible to comprehend reason, though, he wasn't at all bothered by her blatant lack of originality- something that had happened countless times before with countless women who used to fully agree with anything he said just to please him- quite the contrary, he was particularly thrilled with the perspective of her gradually becoming his mirror image…

" They are breathtaking…I haven't seen anything alike in my life…." she whispered in all honesty, scanning the area once again, now that she was out of the water and she could finally have a broader perspective on that spectacular, mysterious location. The cavern was high, very high, probably sixty feet tall, and looking down at the water, she could now notice that its colour would periodically change from dark blue to teal, turquoise and even forest green….

"I believe you. There are only two people in the world who have actually been fortunate enough as to see this marvel."

" The King and the Queen?" she naturally supposed, unable to prevent a frown from creasing her forehead the minute Amytis' alluring visage invaded her mind, obviously still plagued by the content of their previous, heart-shattering conversation.

**" You and I"** Ares immediately contradicted her with a half smile that appeared to be contagious, for, only a heartbeat later, despite not having had any intention doing anything similar, she offered him an equally rapturous, genuine smile- though soon dominated by a look of confusion that ended up darkening her bright beryl moons.

" Oh…..Are you telling me that they have no idea how rich they actually are….?!" she questioned, finding it hard to believe.

" Clueless…."

" Why would you keep such information from your old, **beloved friends? "** she stressed, trying to effectively replace the visible effects of that ironic grin now stretching the corners of her mouth, with a more adequate reaction. " You owe Nabbucco your life, you said it yourself…"

" Probably because unlike most mortals, Xena, I don't have the habit of mistaking gratitude with idiocy. "

" I see…."

" Plus…you'll soon discover that I have all the reasons in the world to do anything in my powers to prevent them from ever finding it, anyway…"

" Why is that ? Are you afraid that they'll become richer than you and….buy Mount Olympus and leave you homeless or something?" she mocked, arching a brow at her own ridiculous scenario.

He laughed richly at her supposition, of course. He simply loved her sense of humor, and as if that wasn't enough, to top it all, she was actually the only woman who had managed to wake something very peculiar inside him….a feeling of adoration, of veneration really, that he was unable to suppress or explain….And the fact that he had begun to show interest even in her own opinion about him...that was just inconceivable.

"Ares…..! " her voice caressed his soul, despite the mild note of irritation in it.

" Have you ever heard of the **Secret Gardens of Babylon**?" he mechanically inquired, realizing that he must have been staring at her like a fool for the past few seconds…

" No…..should I have?"

" Well….had you been a treasure hunter, definitely yes, though I would have thought every mortal on the planet is dreaming about finding this hidden paradise."

" I'm no treasure hunter…"

" There's no doubt in my mind about that….Come on, walk with me…." he courteously invited, taking her hand in his and heading down a tight tunnel that was enigmatically making its way throughout one of the cavern walls.

They must have walked at least a mile down that labyrinthine passage until they got to a slightly smaller hall in the center of which stood a breathtaking white marble garden pavilion, surrounded by seven statues depicting ancient Gods and Goddesses the origin of whom she was unable to tell. They were wearing strange, extremely strange clothes, and their faces didn't precisely appear to be human- though they weren't animals either. Their eyes were unusually long and wide, their faces elongated and their necks a bit too thin compared to the normal standards- not to mention the presence of the wings-

...What was really intriguing about them, was their posture though...Each and every one of these creatures was - almost shyly- covering a part of his or her body...the eyes, the mouth, the ears, the heart, the forehead, the genitals and the wrist were thus impossible to be seen.

Nevertheless, despite the royal elegance of that highly elaborated ornamental structure, the Warrior Princess' mind was rather focused on recalling where exactly she had seen a similar dome….It felt frustratingly familiar and yet she just couldn't place her finger on the exact location she had spotted it in.….

" Art has certainly captured your attention more than my divine presence has ever been able to do it" the Olympian joked after a small pause in which he allowed her to drink in the magnificent details before her…..The natural looking ivy- creeping up the attentively carved marble pillars of the structure- had made her wonder if real plants could actually grow in there…..

"You still haven't told me who built this place and why…" she brought the subject up again as she touched one of the leaves and discovered- to her boundless surprise- that they were as artificial as all the others she had seen earlier.

" Seraphinite….." he murmured casually, as if having read her thoughts. " ...The Gods that inhabited the earth millions of years before I was even born…." he then continued, answering her actual question. " Legend has it, that the Gardens were a gift from Himatru- God of the Underworld- to his beloved wife Melena- Godddess of the Sky- …..She missed the ravishing landscape of her country terribly and in order for her to feel like home, he created this subterranean paradise for her. It appears to have been a wedding gift. "

"Just like Nabucco's…." she mused, her brain instantly connecting the two situations.

" Yeah….that bastard has always been good at copying things…sadly, his is just a pale imitation of the impossible to reproduce original. "

" He could have never done anything similar no matter how hard he tried…." she agreed, shaking her head slowly….

" Damn right he wouldn't have. As stubborn as that old buck is, he would have never been able to come even close to this wonder…"

" How exactly did you find them, again?"

" Well…..it took me about **300 years** to figure out the approximate location ….the rest was a piece of cake..."he whispered lowly into her ear as if it had been the darkest secret humanity had been forced to keep, and the implication of his words hit her like a lightening bolt.….Was he saying what she thought he did?

" I still don't get it…..why would the God of War even be interested in a bunch of gems….no mater how beautifully crafted ?" she asked, stepping inside the pavilion.

" Actually, it was not the gems I was after ." he explained, his fingers playing restlessly through her long raven tresses….He just couldn't help touching her…..For the love of all Gods why was she so upset with him?

" I could imagine that much….So….what's this all about then?"

" Something much more alluring…something unique….-.a myth, the Bards might say, just like the one regarding this location….."he informed, casually waving his hand and revealing to her something that she had clearly missed before…..Something concealed from mortal eyes- a round marble table on which, in a water lily shaped silver bowl, one single flower floated proudly ….

" A rose?" she inquired, her legs turning instantly into jelly as the words of the Queen began replaying inside her head again…**.A dark rose**…the very image of it was haunting her to the point where she could barely look at the accursed plant.

" Not just **any** rose….. Like everything else inside this magical place, it has a story attached to it….Plus, this pretty little thing can be eaten…."

" Eaten?" she asked, a perplexed look on her face. Was he making fun of her? Was this his new sick idea of a joke? "Why would anyone want to eat a rose?"

" Not a rose….The shape is the only thing they have in common. In fact, what's you're looking at, is something else…..something that every pantheon in the world has dreamt about owning from the beginning of time...**dark ambrosia**…" he clarified, softly touching one of its velvety petals.

" Don't you have enough ambrosia back in Greece?! What's so different about this one?" she asked, a skeptical expression on her face, unconsciously biting her lips at the delicate way in which he was now caressing the perfectly shaped petals of that seemingly invaluable treasure.

" Well, in short, it gives anyone who eats it, the power to reshape the surface of the world… a power so great, an energy so hard to imagine that the lucky soul who possesses it, would be able to obliterate humanity with just a flick of his fingers…That's precisely the reason why it has been buried in this Gods forsaken cavern, for all this time…"

" Not well enough if **you **found it." she remarked, frowning at the implication.

"What can I say? I'm like a magnet for trouble…" he laughed, clicking his tongue.

" So uh….how comes you haven't eaten it yet?" a fair question indeed.

There was a short pause before he offered her an answer, but when he finally did, time itself stopped flowing for the Warrior Princess and as he slowly cradled her pretty face in his hands, locking their gazes together, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

" I have been waiting for something to happen…."

" What?"

" For you to come along….."


	18. It takes two to tango

**FOR SOME REASON THIS WAS SOOOOOOO HARD TO WRITE. ANYWAY, HOPE I NAILED IT. ENJOY:)**

"I have been waiting for something to happen..."

"What?"

"For you to come along…"

**XXX**

For a few particularly intense seconds, only their perfectly synchronized breaths could be heard on the background. It was amazing, absolutely amazing what five apparently trivial words could do to her- the avalanche of contradictory emotions that it could trigger. A fierce battle- that she had no intention of ever winning in the first place- was given inside her. All the feelings that she had been trying so hard either to keep in check or to suppress, were now deviously crawling their way into her already half broken heart. Plus, the adoring way in which he was looking at her, now that was just too much for her to handle- not to mention that everything inside her body began to pulse and throb maddeningly the instant she felt his hot breath against her lips... Her nerves were frayed...

And then, right when she least expected it- as if determined to ruin the Warrior Princess' precious fairy tale fantasy- reality caught up with her, strangling her with its unwanted presence, forcing her love drugged mind to start searching for any possible hidden meaning behind his statement- in what appeared to turn into a painfully real quest for the brutal truth….

Definitely taken aback by the wicked suspicions that soon began spreading their poisonous tentacles throughout her overly active brain, Xena made nontheless a superhuman effort to crack a smile, hoping to efficiently disguise that twinge of self-loathing that had astutely pierced the improperly fortified defenses of her heart the minute she had once again discovered just how quickly she could fall for his any trick….A sensual smile, a lie uttered in that low, husky, unmistakable voice of his, a caress, that alone was more then enough to have her staring at him like some love infected fool. Where was her pride, her flawless self control, her ...judgement?! It was as if she were brainwashed, and that was preposterous! How could she be as naïve as to believe for one tiny second that he had been serious when it came to uttering those bloody words...?

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're just trying to impress me and that** you** waiting for someone to share your power with, is as ill-fated as Zeus finally admitting that the fight against the Titans was terribly unfair…" she jokingly tried to ridicule the situation- a brave attempt to hold herself together, really…For nothing in the world could she allow him to see that she had let her guard down so easily...

The pain reverberating from her aura though, and the blatant contrast between her words and that broken, afflicted voice, was as clear as daylight….Even a child would have noticed the discrepancy …

" But you **do** know better,** don't you?**" he tantalizingly inquired instead- suddenly no longer smiling, even if a veiled glint of amusement could still be noticed sparkling in his charmingly triumphant eyes.

"Sure…." she muttered with a half smile of her own- more like a short lived, confused grimace one might say-while forced to admit to herself that despite the callous disappointment of having been right once again, she was somewhat intrigued to find out the real version of his burlesque but scrupulously romanticized scenario. " And yet…..do tell….." she thus insisted, her fingers tracing delicately the perfect contours of one of the alluringly dark petals...- the real object of his desire. " ...what does the rest of the story sound like? I can already anticipate something captivating enough to be worth your scandalous elaboration."

"Scandalous?" he rhetorically inquired, laughing briefly at her comment, but the joy was quickly gone from his eyes, when, carefully scrutinizing her face, feature by feature, he noticed something that made his heart constrict in his chest. "It takes two to tango right?" he continued, his thumb brushing hesitantly over her bottom lip- desperately meaning to erase any negative reply that could ever come out her exquisitely sweet mouth.

"It depends on the fantasy, I guess...Three or four can also keep on to the rhythm..."

She was smart- as smart as a whip- and he loved her for it, but sometimes she was just too bright for her own good- he silently told himself as he finally stopped what he was doing and moved passed her, incredibly bothered by that senseless anguish he had been reading in her beautiful sapphire moons ever since they got there. And just in case anyone's wondering, he had told her the truth- she was indeed the one that he had been inexhaustibly looking for all those endless eons- but unfortunately, things were a bit more complicated- not that things were ever simple when it came to the War God, anyway...

" Weren't you the one who used to complain that **I** had a dirty imagination...?!" he casually reminded her, leaning against one of the cold marble pillars of the pavilion. " Anyway, regardless of how dark and naughty your secret desires are, it only takes two people to eat the ambrosia…**a god and his mortal Chosen**." he patiently explained, once her delicate brows had arched inquisitively at his statement.

"Why's that?" another question soon followed, her eyes still firmly fixed on him while an unseen but vicious fight was given between her brain and her rebellious hand- that seemed to be having this demonic, irresistible urge of touching her lips- the last spot that he had touched buts seconds before...She was really losing it...

"Probably because a mortal's frail body would never resist the shock of absorbing the quantity of dark energy released by this divine delicacy …..In its turn, a God's physical form would also be irremediably damaged if he were to fall into the temptation of consuming it alone, foolishly ignoring the consequences."

" I don't get it….How exactly would a mortal be of any help and why does **that** mortal necessarily have to be a Chosen?

"Maybe because the only person any sane God** trusts** is **his Chosen-** which might be important given that he would be placing his life in that particular Chosen's hands once the amazing process of transformation starts…." he said, pausing briefly, making sure he got her attention….

Allegedly, this also seemed to be the perfect moment for him to at least partly dissipate that tension he could still feel hanging heavily in the shimmering air between them " You might also want to know that this would be the easiest way for you to end my life if by any chance you have decided that you no longer want me lurking around anymore….You don't even have to get your hands dirty or anything- you just have to…watch me die….." he flatly announced, and to his pleasant surprise she just narrowed her eyes at him. Obviously, he couldn't possibly tell that she was in fact unsure whether his suggestion could be actually taken as a joke or not since that very moment, the perspective sounded incredibly appealing….

"That's good to know….I think I'll keep that in mind…." she finally spoke, unbelievably restless when, agitated himself, the God crossed the short distance between them until he once again ended up behind her, his hands now casually brushing her hair over one shoulder, thus leaving the other one fully at the mercy of his unbearably gentle strokes….

She instinctively folded her arms across her chest as if suddenly too exposed for him, and she unwillingly shivered when his warm fingers touched her skin…..His hands always had the most incredible effect on her- even when she was so angry that she could barely stand to look at him- a weird, hard to describe mixture, in which shooting and disturbing combined were bound to mess with her head…

" While you think about it, you should also consider the fact that by doing your part, the power you'd be able to access, would be unlimited….No mortal or immortal being in this universe would be able to stand in your way…You, my dear Xena…you would be **invincible**." he solemnly uttered, passion echoing from his every word.

"No one but you." she corrected, throwing him a glance over her shoulder.

" As long as we stick to the plan- and that shouldn't be too hard given our common goals- I wouldn't worry about that if I were you….I'd rather focus on the half full part of the glass." he softly advised, making her let out a wistful sigh when his lips, deciding that it was time to explore, began trailing kisses down her shoulder- a warm, intimate contact that felt sooo good that for a moment everything else faded from her mind…

"…Sounds tempting…**.Too** tempting…." she wisely answered, even though her flushed face was by now transfixed with pleasure "… And where there's temptation there is always danger….. am I right?"

" There is danger in every aspect of our life…In our line of work, it is quite inevitable, wouldn't you say so?. Plus, if this would be some ordinary, risk free job, were would all the fun be ? The satisfaction...? "

" I'm afraid you'll need to be a bit more persuasive than that...….And by persuasion, I mean i**nformation**" she stoically specified- an almost steely demand in fact- curiosity flickering in her eyes. Against all odds, things were definitely staring to look up for the War God….

"I like this impatience of yours…It nearly matches mine." Ares remarked, a small smile quirking his full, sexy lips. " Well…..legend has it that the dark ambrosia is only destined for people who have known both rage and suffering, both aggressiveness and darkness in its purest form…"

"Death?"

" The death of the soul…Not your case , but you were closer to it than anyone that I have ever met….And most importantly, you've been able to face it, to control it and eventually to surpass it….."

" Lyceus'…" she whispered, her voice filled with immeasurable sadness and guilt….His death was indeed an ache that had only slightly softened with time- the God had made sure she moved on - but the agonizing frustration of knowing that she could have saved him had she been more careful, refused to go away…." I'm far from having surpassed it, Ares…It still haunts me, every single night….."

" And yet, you still get up every single morning and live life to the fullest…That's the right attitude. **A winner's attitude**. You're just being too hard on yourself, Princess."

" I don't know about that…."

" You've done great, so far, and that makes me proud." he mildly encouraged, taking advantage of her weakness." The point is that you have known darkness but you haven't allowed it to engulf your soul- you haven't lost yourself in it. And that's precisely the kind of person I have been looking for all this time…." he stressed, but once again, instead of the faint smile he had expected to see, there it was again, that discreetly accusing glance…Needless to say, he felt its impact like a dagger to the heart…The silent reproach in her eyes, he couldn't shake it off….What in Tartarus had he done to upset her like that… ? The question was still there, unanswered. Maybe he had over reacted with Amytis after all….Maybe he shouldn't have brought her here in the first place.

" What exactly do you need me, for, Ares? To clap my hands and salute your almighty presence?" she sarcastically bit, turning away from him but without advancing too much - for the pavilion barely offered enough space to walk by the round marble table.

" To share my power with you. To have you rule the world by my side…."

"As your overall commander?"

**"As my Queen….my Enyo…." **he replied, and his answer had her stunned. Petrified. Definitely speechless for more seconds than her suddenly alert mind could count before it stopped for good in utter awe…..What in Gaia's name did this bastard want with her? Just earlier that day she had felt hurt, used and meaningless, and here he was now laying the world at her feet….Why would he do that? Sure, she was a good warrior- not perfect but definitely better than anyone she had met on the battlefield-….But from there to becoming his Queen…What was that all about?!

**" Your Queen?"** she asked, nearly choking on the title- the only coherent thing she was able to articulate.

" As I was saying, one person alone couldn't possibly control all the darkness that would automatically transfer from the rose into the body of the host ….. And though at first glance these petals look absolutely normal…harmless, really, the energy they contain is so strong that it could easily turn everything to dust in less than a second.

" No one should have that amount of power." the Warrior Princess murmured, blinking away the image that had began forming before her eyes, one picturing an apocalyptic ending of the world as she knew it.

"That's precisely the catch …..The energy will be divided between two people…..The God will absorb most of the power, yes, but the mortal's body would also take over enough of it to balance his immortal counterpart…..One could never act against the other's will…."

"That's …..strange…. Who would risk granting someone unlimited power? And...why? For what purpose? "

" It appears that dark ambrosia messes with people's minds to such extent that the two supposedly end up fighting each other for domination- thus gradually destroying their alliance along with their vessels….The thirst for more always leads to udder destruction…." he remarked as a side note,though it wasn't something that she didn't already know, they had discussed that aspect many times whenever they analyzed the most important battles in history…..

" So…in a word, this is suicide…." she concluded, unconsciously her body becoming even more rigid than before.

" Not if you can control your urges….And I do happen to be perfectly able to keep mine in check How about you?

" I don't know…..I have never asked myself that question…" she said, and the instant she spoke them, the words felt rusty on her tongue….She should have said** yes**…." Is the effect… permanent?" she quickly added, already wondering if he had interpreted that as a sign of weakness.

"A very good question- I wish I had the answer to it….The thing is that whomever created this pretty little beauty had a twisted sense of humor. The rose hides within it both petals that offer eternity on a silver platter and petals the effect of which is only temporary…."

"Temporary….? Like a month, a year…..a decade?"

"No one really knows…." he shrugged.

" Well, that shouldn't be a problem. We'll just come back and eat more once the effect wears off….."

"Not really an option…You see, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. No second chances. If one ever tries to eat it again, ambrosia acts like pure poison…No antidote for it- or so they say." he responded, clicking his tongue. " So…shall we?" he inquired, leaning forward and stretching out his hand, ready to pick a petal.

"What exactly do I have to do, again?" she questioned, still shocked by everything that had taken place, everything that had been spoken having already left its mark on her...

"In short, once I have eaten the ambrosia, your body will act like a sponge, absorbing the excess of energy that my own body cannot hold. "

" How am I supposed to do that?"

"I should have mentioned this earlier " he uttered gravely, breaking their gaze for a little while. " A sacrifice is required for this to work…"

"A sacrifice…..?" she repeated, stupefied.

" ….You'll have to give me your best kiss….." he replied with a barely restrained laugh.

" Go figure! " she frowned , visibly relieved that he had been joking.

" Hey! I'm serious here!"

" So in a word, you'll be giving me… what….? Leftovers….?"

"I wouldn't have chosen that word, but whatever your body will absorb will be enough to make you the most powerful woman on the planet. 'Sounds super sexy if you ask me.." he said, taking the now detached petal to his lips. " Ready?"

" Wait….." she nearly yelled. " I need time… to think about this….."

" Think about what? This is an amazing opportunity Xena. I'm offering you the impossible- the chance for you to shape and reshape the world, to literally mold it in your image….An endless number of followers, millions of soldiers at your disposal, all of them worshiping you like a goddess!"

" I don't want to be worshiped…." she firmly contradicted, but he could clearly read the conflict in her eyes.

" Of course you do….You're just afraid of the implications…You don't fully understand power…my kind of power, and that frightens you. " he said, lowering his mouth to her ear, his voice an overly tempting whisper. " But you don't have to be afraid of the unknown…No... you have to face it, to defeat it and in the end, to rule it….Allow me to change your mind, Princess…let me show you what it feels like. What I feel like…every day…every single second of my life…" he asked, cradling her temples between his palms and making a hallow of light blue energy form around her- an ecstatic experience, almost orgasmic judging by the soft moan that soon escaped Xena's lips. " This is the power of the Gods. Multiply it a thousand-fold. It is like nothing you have ever experienced before, am I right? With it, you can build a better world- destroy everything if that's what it takes and start from scratch….Isn't this what you have always wanted? Not to mention that you will no longer be the humble prisoner of time- Time will serve **you. **It will work in your favour….**Forever **will be engraved in every cell of your body…Immortal blood will be running through your veins." he hissed, and by all living Gods it was an offer impossible to refuse...

"Immortality is a** curse**, Ares, and you know it." the Warrior Princess argued, her instinct screaming at her to say** no**, despite the temptingly seductive trap he was drawing her in.

"And mortality is a** sickness**….It's the lesser of two evils principle. Plus…you are already a Goddess …. Anyone who has seen you on the battlefield would agree with me….This would only be the undeniable, worldwide confirmation…"

" Eternity….." she mused, actually contemplating the idea for a few priceless moments…

"Yes, eternity…**by my side…..**Now I don't know about you, but it sounds incredibly right to me…"


	19. Mistrust

A long pause followed the Warrior Princess' bitter chuckle….Was he** that** blind as to miss the fact that she didn't trust him one bit given the circumstances and that everything that had happened those past few days had only shaken her self confidence to the core?!

How could he even think that she would ever accept to spend eternity by** his** side**\- **or better said**, **how could he so lightheartedly offer her **immortality **when it was as clear as daylight that he still had feelings for that infatuated bitch- 'cause no, there was no doubt about it in her mind now- it was their unresolved affair that continued to keep him chained to that place.

Evidently, a part of him was still under Amytis' spell and that drew him to her like a magnet- regardless of what he was telling her or himself. The fact that he had also made** her** immortal, no matter how grateful he had been to Nabbuco for having saved his life- that….well …that made her wonder….For some reason it just didn't sit well with her.

What bothered her most though- even more than this distressing awareness that the God's heart was still partly occupied by that slutty witch - was that accursed **uncertainty **that had clogged her mind and fogged her head and though she had done even the impossible to figure him out- to see beyond the alluring projections of his distracting, carefully chosen words-she couldn't really tell apart the truth from the wonderfully embroidered white- or maybe not so white- lies she was sure he must have used to spice up that story….In the end, did he want her by his side for the sheer destructive power her undeniable skills could eventually bring him- for the inextinguishable fire he had seen burning in her- the same fire that, unleashed on any battlefield would only leave empty carcasses behind- or was it indeed something else that had been plaguing his mind all along- that special something he had timidly confessed he wanted to hold on to, no matter what?... And looking back at it now…. did he really mean that…? Could she believe anything that came out of his mouth when his actions were in blatant contradiction of his words?

On the other hand, she could simply put on a mask- both on her face and on her soul- and go on pretending that she didn't really care whom his heart belonged to and just accept that damn offer- which had been surprisingly generous after all, coming from him – the War God wasn't particularly renowned for his altruism…..In order to keep her mind busy, she could always focus on keeping that lethal power that would be flowing freely through her blood in check, and just bury whatever feelings she had developed for him under the constantly amassing piles of bodies that would be littering the battlefields….

In short, the more she thought about it, the more his proposition was starting to turn into something almost...appealing... With every passing second, the perspective appeared less and less atrocious and more and more…**noble** – given all the positive changes that her reign would bring…At least he had been right about one thing...she would become the architect of a new world- and by Gaia herself, the society she had been living in, sure used a transformation - and a radical one, too.

As tiny- but painfully expressive- bits and pieces of conversation between Ares and the Queen- as well as their infuriatingly intimate gestures in her presence - began to tormentingly flash before her eyes again though, her mouth unwillingly twisted in a disgusted grimace, just to smile uncomfortably when the God hooked his index finger under her chin, tilting her head up, forcing her to look at him, and their impossible nearness only made things even more difficult….

When their eyes met, for a fraction of a second- sunk in thoughts as she was- Xena was genuinely shocked to notice that a shade of deep concern had been etched in the lines of the Olympian's divine visage. His chocolate brown eyes-that were now gazing at her expectantly- held a very uncharacteristic anxiety- as if her own reaction had actually managed to trouble him….Her heart naturally skipped a beat at the realization….was this just another act of his to get what he wanted, to somehow indirectly push her onto the path he had spoken to her about, or was it genuine emotion he was displaying?

Whether she liked it or not, a small voice in the back of her mind obstinately refused to let her place her trust in him- and for good reason. After all, the question did remain ….what did he want with her…and **why**? .. Thus, even though she knew far too well that ignoring her any doubts and worries and just take advantage of that amazing opportunity would have been the smartest thing to do -any sane person would have done the same- …the countless ideas that kept bouncing up and down like rubber balls inside her brain just wouldn't let her act as she pleased. ….

" I need to think about this" she murmured unhurriedly after careful consideration, scratching musingly her fingernails through his beard while her enchanting gaze locked with his. Nabuuco had jokingly claimed that she had the handsome Olympian eating out of the palm of her hand- and though she believed that statement to be slightly exaggerated, there was still a grain of truth in those words – enough to have him do things her way…If he was really interested in having her by his side till the end of time- regardless of what his intentions actually were- he was going to have to learn to be patient and give her all the time she needed to decide what exactly it was that she wanted…Time was irrelevant for Gods after all….

...Nonetheless, as more and more seconds elapsed, despite the fact that **she** was supposed to have an effect on **him**, something fluttered inside her stomach when, taking his time studying her, his own gaze became so penetrating as if he was trying to literally see through her, to drill a hole into her soul and thus take a peek inside- obviously desperate to find out what in the name of Hades had her so preoccupied, and what exactly were her feelings for him…Had he screwed up **so** much with Amytis that she suddenly felt the need to protect herself from him? From him, out of all people?!Was that it?! By the Styx, it was only a freaking kiss!...To top it all, she had been the one who kissed him…she couldn't possibly blame him for that.

" What's there to think about? " he bluntly questioned, his voice raspy and deep, trying hard to keep his cool. He didn't get it….he had just told her that he wanted** her** by his side for the rest of time- **as his Queen**\- and yet, her mind seemed to be still spinning around the silly scenarios she must have created inside her head about his relationship with his ex ...Or maybe he was just being paranoid and the only thing bothering her was his offer...Maybe he had been awfully wrong about her in the first place and world domination wasn't even something that she craved for…

" What do you mean? It's not like someone comes along every day to lay the world at my feet" she cleverly remarked, as if sensing his own unuttered question.

" That's precisely why I thought you'd jump at the opportunity. What's holding you back?" he asked, visibly bothered now by her lack of enthusiasm.

She paused a bit, her fingers brushing absently now along his cheeckbone while searching for an answer to please them both. She would definitely hate herself later if she were to refuse such a staggering offer and she knew it- but still, first of all- for her own peace of mind- she needed to understand a few things...

" Nothing…I just don't get the haste…..As you put it, this ambrosia isn't going anywhere- and since the entire world has been unsuccessfully looking for it all these millenia, they sure won't find it now….So why all the rush?"

"You're evading... What's holding you back?" he insisted, fighting her with her own weapons- his thumb, now sensually massaging her lips, breaking in a flash all the self control she had hoped the rage and frustration had fueled. Before she knew it, her arms were tightly wrapped around his muscular torso and by Aphrodite and Cupid, during those few moments in which he leaned down the tiniest bit, his mouth so close that she could actually taste him, her heart began hammering again frantically against her chest and nothing made sense anymore...nothing but him... Soon, his soft tongue began exploring her mouth, tangling with hers, making her moan dirtily- completely lost in that whirl of emotions swelling deep inside her, and let's just say that not even if her life depended on it, could she remember why she had been angry with him in the first place- definitely, incapable of finding a good enough reason to reject his once in a lifetime proposition….Nothing appeared to be wrong with it any more….

"I'm sure that whatever doubts you might have on this, I can make them vanish…." he charmingly added, halting that kiss for just a little while- enough for her to catch her breath- despite the fact that the gulp of air that had been meant for her lungs, never reached its destination, simply because it unexpectedly caught in her throat when his hands began skimming lightly over her sides, heading up…..

As a result, every rational part of her brain shut down instantly when, despite his apparent calmness- his fingers started trailing towards the luscious curves of her waist - with the hottest need she had ever felt from a man- brushing tenderly over her aroused breasts before his palms cradled her face again, brutally taking possession of her mouth this time, devouring her …He was temptation incarnate, and though she was fully aware of what he was trying to do, the mere thought of having him stop was unthinkable….…The power radiating from within him was simply magnetizing and with everything she had, she craved for that bloody power...She wanted it for herself despite how utterly wrong it felt.

It didn't take long until everything around them seemed to dissolve- and the Warrior Princess know far to well where this was heading and how it was likely to end. Under the influence of a last flash of sanity, she tried to save herself by talking, by breaking the spell he had her under, by making him think that she wasn't as impressed by his little routine as he wanted her to be, but unfortunately, the blazing heat radiating through the thin fabric of her dress, now that she couldn't possibly hide…

" I'm sure you can….I'm also sure that it wouldn't kill you if you were to wait a few more days to get your answer…" she mildly protested, a faint, flirtatious smile on her face- that kind of smile that always got to him- and just as he started to object- eager taste her again- she pressed the tips of her fingers against his lips.

Little darts of fire flicked inside him as she spoke...

"After all, as you so poetically put it, you have been waiting for me for an eternity…what's a few more days?" she asked- in a small, innocent voice- the deep dark pools of her eyes filled though with such a tempting combination between desire lust and hunger that he was unable to resist her.

"Is it me or you are trying to lure me into doing what you want by using your feminine wiles, Warrior Princess?" he jokingly remarked, his fingers tangling even more into her thick, raven hair now making it impossible for her to move an inch-not that such thought had actually crossed her mind-and for what felt like an interminable moment- it just stretched out forever- he gazed at her with an impossible to ignore passion…Apart from being the perfect killing machine she was also an amazingly sexy woman -one that constantly- and most likely deliberately too- had- in little less than a year- shattered to little pieces everything he was certain he knew about women in general...

" Is it working….? "

" _It always works…" _he whispered using their bond, not really comfortable with saying it out loud, but definitely wanting to give her something palpable to hang out to, something real when it came to their unsteady relationship….._"You just have to learn to push the right buttons…"_

"_Is that so? " _ she playfully inquired, a warm, kittenish smile flashing over her face and for a split second the storm in her eyes was actually replaced by sunshine, and, that made the War God's heart flutter with the most unusual joy. "That's good to know…" she finally said out loud, almost patting herself on the back for a job well done...Even though, he hadn't clearly specified it, she just knew she got what she wanted..**.time. **"Anyway…we'd better get back to the palace. The party's about to start and I need to get dressed. " she ended, frowning as soon as she had mentioned that wretched place. Ares immediately noticed the change of course.

" Just say the word, I'll get you ready in no time. "

" I'd rather surprise you…Plus, I already have a costume…."she answered, in an almost cold voice now, immediately averting her gaze...She was killing him...Slowly, as brutally as possible and without even realizing it.

"Hmmmmmm …you do now? Will I like it? " he replied, using the same jocular tone as before, casually glancing over his shoulder at the dark rose behind him...Sooner or later she was going to eat that ambrosia even if he had to force it down her throat.

" What do you think?"

" I somehow have the feeling that- as always- you'll be the sexiest woman in the room... So I'm particularly tempted to say** yes**…"

This time, his sincere compliment could no longer make her smile and her aura radiated sadness and ...disappointment...

" We' ll just have to wait and see won't we?"


	20. Tricky deals

A double take in the mirror and an arched eyebrow later, and the Warrior Princess seemed more than ready to give instant heart attacks to any man or woman at that party with her presence alone- no lethal fighting skills required. In short, she was quite content with the way she looked- the Queen's costume fit her like a glove and the contrast between the red and golden veils caressing her body and the silky dark hair cascading down her shoulders….now that was an image to die for….Plus, knowing that this was the bitch's favourite costume, that only made her feel even more anxious about their following encounter…- it sure painted a wicked, wicked smile on her half parted lips. Amytis was definitely going to curse the minute she had decided that challenging the Chosen of War was a good idea …

….As for Ares….let's just say that he was already in over his head when it came to their intricate relationship- definitely standing on the edge of a precipice without having the slightest suspicion that one more step was all it took for him to head for its bottom faster than one of Artemis' silver arrows . Given that words weren't precisely something the Warrior Princess could rely on- not when they came from him anyway- she was extremely interested to find out just how strong her influence over him really was….Could she actually control him in any way? What exactly was he willing to give up in order to hold on to what they had? If there had ever been a right time to face the truth, this was it…

With these types of thoughts in mind, the gorgeous Chosen of War added one last touch of bloody red on the lips and a tiny bit of bronze shimmer in the inner corner of her eyes, giving that dark, metallic grey shade that she had decided to apply on her lids an even sexier, look and, drawing in a deep breath she called him….

"Aressss…."

Unlike other times, when she usually allowed those tantalizing vibrations of his name to take over her for at least a second- one second of pure, irreplaceable pleasure- this time was different- the sharpness of her voice being a hard thing to miss.

" What did I do now?!" he asked the instant he flashed into the room – without waiting for the confirmation that she was still upset with him- the tone of her voice alone was all the clue he needed.

" I don't know…..**yet**….But now that you've mentioned it, judging by that guilty look, you must have done **something!** " she acidly pointed out , narrowing her eyes at him, only to chuckle playfully when she noticed just how nervous her statement had made him….. " You're turning soft, War God!" she taunted.

" You wish! I was just being cautious" he jokingly defended himself, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest when he realized what exactly it was she was wearing. " With your mood swings lately, one might never know!" he remarked, utterly distraught though, unable to unglue his gaze from the costume….How did she get it and when? Was it Amytis who had given it to her- probably in a cruel attempt to tease him- or ….was it all a coincidence, and he was in fact staring- dumbfounded- at a totally different outfit? Maybe he was just being paranoid…..

" My **mood swings**?!" she asked, shooting daggers at him- obviously bothered by just how quickly that accursed costume had captivated his attention. Even when she was not in the room, in one way or another, the witch was still on his mind.

" Don't think I haven't noticed….You're not pregnant are you?!" he gravely inquired -the devilish smirk playing on his sexy lips only managing to agitate her even more. Holy Zeus, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't understand how his mind worked- or if it worked at all- and not having a clear idea about how exactly his heart was divided- she couldn't hate him, she couldn't love him….and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't slap that stupid smirk off his face…..What was left?

" You wouldn't…..!" she growled- almost menacingly- stepping closer to him.

" I don't know….yet….But now that you've mentioned it …." he replied, using her own words against her. "You should have seen your face though…." he added, meeting her half way. There was no distance between them now- and usually it would have been impossible for him to just stand there so close to her without touching her in any way, but now, his naughty fingers appeared to be far more fascinated with the elegantly flowing chiffon veils surrounding her waist than by the person wearing them….

" Not funny, Ares…." she sternly stipulated, a flash of jealousy in her eyes. If she could only read his mind, just to make sure…..

" Not for you maybe…" he mechanically answered, his mind obviously drifting off somewhere else entirely as his fingers moved slowly from the golden coins decorating the waist band to her beautifully embroidered bra on which, several layers of crystal beads describing intricate patterns were sparkling like the starts. She was going to dazzle the crowd that was for sure- he sure looked dazzled….

Little did Xena know though that the images now unfolding in his head would have made want to rip his heart out…

_Indeed, memories belonging to a distant past - quite distant for any mortal but still unusually recent for him– began seeping into his brain, bringing them tormentingly close to reality …_

_It was one of the first nights he had spent at Nabucco's palace after his new friends had generously decided that his death would be a terrible waste for human kind …They were immortals now- he had made sure of that- and they were celebrating their newly acquired status with a decadent oriental party- one to remember, as the King himself had enthusiastically put it- and everything was pitch perfect…The large reception room was packed with half naked or already naked slaves, dancing on the distinct, erotic rhythms of a very addictive Babylonian music….Tits and cunts could be seen everywhere, just like the War God liked it….Indubitably, in his vision, the place must have been the Elysian fields on earth, and an hour later, after the fifth bottle of wine or so, despite the fact that his mind felt fogged and his vision blurry, all his other senses were so alert that he could no longer keep his hands off one of the girls that was invitingly sitting on his lap- now enjoying his undivided attention….._

_Nothing could have prepared him for what followed shortly afterwards though…. Moments later, probably bored with watching her husband fucking relentlessly a rather common Turkish slave, the Queen decided that it was about time for her to have some real fun –and in her terms that pretty much meant getting all the attention and admiration of everyone present….._

_It wasn't long until- at her discreet signal- the center of the room cleared for her to start dancing, and when that event finally happened, the handsome Olympian's breath caught in his throat- like instantly-.. Up to her, he had never been so entranced with a woman before…she was absolutely mind blowing. Truth be told, he had never seen anyone in his life who could even come close to comparing to her, and yes, maybe the wine had something to do with his opinion on the matter and maybe his mind was indeed playing tricks on him, but he could swear she was perfection incanted and moreover, she was dancing for him, and him alone….._

_With a rough push- disturbed by the fact that she was obstructing his view- the dumb girl that had been straddling him earlier, soon discovered that falling face down on the floor was not a pleasant experience, and though she did mutter some very nasty words at the rudeness of the God's gesture, he didn't hear her….not anymore, not when he only had eyes for the magnificent redhead who was effortlessly undulating her flawless body in the sexiest ways imaginable…..He was hooked…__**.irremediably**__, and he knew it…. From the very beginning he knew that he would fuck her brains out that very night even if he had to rape her right there, in front of her husband- though judging by that consuming fire burning in her eyes as her hips and breasts started describing a series of eights and circles, using brute force with her was out of the question….She wanted him just as much as he wanted her, and, with every new spin and every new wave her barely covered body described, his cock tensed and twitched with excitement….She looked absolutely amazing and those obscenely exposed curves through the tantalizing transparent veils, those perfectly displayed round breasts as she got down on her fours, heading his way like a hungry predator- keeping herself out of reach though for a few excruciatingly long minutes, now that drove him crazy like nothing else could….._

_Oh yeah, he wanted her, he carved to have her….he could already picture her riding him wildly, with that sheer, endless energy that seemed to be springing from between her legs, and sweet mother of Chronos, he couldn't stop staring at her..….._

_Before he knew, it, his fantasies unexpectedly started to turn real – incredibly fast may I add- when, as if the room were completely empty and there was no one else present, Amytis danced her way closer and closer to him until she claimed her rightful spot in his lap, and with languid , erotic moves, she began to grind herself against his incredibly hard shaft…..He was definitely not thinking straight, not anymore, and the only thing he was still sure about was that she was wearing a naughty, red costume and that he wanted so very badly to rip it off her that he could hardly control himself…._

" _Fuck me…..as hard and as wild as you possibly can…." she whispered against his ear- a sweet, familiar darkness reverberating from her deliriously sensual voice- stopping even the blood flow to his brain when, brutally pulling her forward- so that she was now perfectly positioned on his rigid length- right where he wanted her- she moaned…..It was the most amazing music to his ears….._

" _I gotta say, this here might just be the most tempting offer I have received tonight." he answered with a smile, closing his eyes for a split second, focusing solely on the delicious friction that had set everything inside him on fire. _

"_I couldn't agree more…" _

"_What about Nabucco?" he asked, in one last moment of sanity, his strong, muscular arms already wrapping possessively around her waist, pressing against her back, making sure she didn't limit herself to that arousing teasing stage, preventing her to leave in case she changed her mind- which wasn't really likely to happen-…..He didn't even need to touch her to know that slick moisture was already rushing out her bare pussy…._

" _What about him?" she lowly inquired, instinctively rubbing herself a bit more anxiously against his impressively thick and long cock- her clit swollen with the constantly building pleasure- longing for the voluptuous abandon that she was certain he could offer her- her breathing changing as if he were already deep inside her- her desire drenched mind urging her to eliminate whatever obstacle was still standing between her and that intoxicating need, almost jerking in his arms as the exhilarating anticipating crept inside her …_

_His lips parted, but definitely not to speak. By the time he did answer- definitely unaware of when exactly it had happened- his hands had already moved down to those naughty buttocks of hers, his fingers kneading impatiently the tender flesh, and he was already enthralled with the arousing scenario that his brain was obsessively projecting, when, bending her head down, she gently traced the contour of his lips with the tip of her soft tongue…._

"_He doesn't mind….." she clarified with a needy groan of unrestrained passion , seeing that he had almost forgotten the question…." I mean…look at him…" she murmured- and they both stared in the King's direction who was now pumping ferociously his cock into one of the slaves…..Obviously, he couldn't care less about what his wife was doing…._

" _Let me take you out of here then…" the God eagerly suggested- his eyes sparkling with lust - ready to transport them to a place where he could enjoy her in a far more intimate decor …..He was just dying to fuck her…_

" _No…..I want it here…It's far more exciting with the crowd and the music and all. Or…uh….are you shy….?" she joked, allowing the straps of her bra to slide down her shoulders revealing her spectacular, full breasts that were just begging for attention….._

"_Me? Not at all…."he replied, with a thought making the bra vanish completely from sight, much to the Queen's delight….._

"_I love your party tricks…." she chuckled, her soft hands pushing slowly his leather vest aside….._

" _You haven't seen anything yet…wait till I start using my magic stick on you….." he answered, sounding particularly ecstatic about it and a loud groan escaped the Queen's throat - covered only by the deafening sound of the beating drums- as his mouth closed over her breast, drawing the nipple deeply between his lips and keeping it imprisoned there as his tongue liked arousingly over its tip, teasing her beyond words…_

"_Are you sure about this? You're the Queen after all….Aren't you worried about what you loyal subjects might think ….?"_

" _Who cares about what they think? Plus, they won't even notice….Take a look around….everyone's fucking everyone….." she murmured unhurriedly, the sighs and shudders that she was getting from the overwhelming sensation of his playful bites, flicks and pinches intoxicating her with desire, barely allowing her to string a sentence together….….._

"_We haven't even got to the interesting part of our relationship and I like you already….." the Olympian replied with a laugh. …Gods knew he wasn't the one to give a damn about public opinion after all, so, adamantly refusing to classify her as a missed opportunity, he made that chiffon skirt vanish, and with one swift move, he thrust his rock hard, iron hot cock into her wet pussy, deep and hard- just like she wanted him to. _

_A shriek came from her lips at the roughness of the contact, but soon, she was in a frenzy, stabbing herself up and down his rigid length , and to his thrill, he could feel the head hammering all the way to her cervix while, for minutes, each new pump worked at building an electrifying wave of sensations, her soft walls gripping his burning organ like a vice. _

_It was the purest, most excruciating but delightful agony he had ever felt to delay his climax, to stop himself from exploding inside her after the first few pumps, but he wanted her to have her own share of fun as well, so he waited patiently, sliding a hand between her legs ,his fingers rubbing her already swollen clit , helping her to get to where she wanted, switching his mouth back and forth between her breasts while she kept working up and down his throbbing shaft…..She was insatiable….Minutes later, when it had become almost painful to deny his release, his hands instinctively started to lift her up just to push her hips down onto him, as hard as he could, and her slick, convulsing pussy seemed to really enjoy that forceful treatment ….They were both ecstatic …_

_Despite the loud music, he could hear his cock sliding rhythmically in and out of her, her wet snatch sucking him back in every time he pulled her up, rocking the pleasure higher and it excited him tremendously to know just how much she wanted him and how wet he had made her... It was animalistic fucking and sweat covered both of their bodies and the hot, dry air inside the room combined with the intoxicating smell of sex everywhere only aroused him even more, driving him insane with desire. _

_Several thrusts later, the orgasm burst from her quenchless cunt with gushes of juices which pushed past his cock.. She screamed in ecstasy as she felt the release tearing through her violently contracting pussy, pulsating throughout her entire body, making her shudder violently as he continued to thrust into her, prolonging that intense whirl of pleasure rocking her inside out._

_His own orgasm exploded seconds later, as his hot load finally shot out of his member. He grunted and clenched his teeth hard as the long awaited release overwhelmed him, his shaft still pushing brutally into her with all the pressure that had built up even when her juices started mixing with his fiery cum…It was only the beginning he thought….the night was still young and he still had a million things in mind he wanted to do to her….._

For centuries he had been fascinated with her, sexually bound to her in ways he couldn't possibly understand no matter how hard he tried. She attracted him with a force to which he could hardly resist at times….And then, one unpardonable mistake followed by an even more powerful presence in his life- that literally rocked his entire universe, shaking him to the core - ended it all as quickly as it started….

"So uh….what do you think? " the Warrior Princess asked, her alert, azure moons carefully analyzing his every reaction.

"Hmmm?" he inquired, still in a haze of what it was that she was talking about.

" ….about the costume?" she made sure to clarify, arching a sharp eyebrow at him, the harshness of her voice pulling him immediately out of his musings.

" It looks great on you, sweetheart…..Did you not like the ones that I left for you in the armoire? " he casually inquired, secretly hoping to find an answer to the question that was still plaguing his mind….How on earth had she got her hands on that outfit?

"I liked this one better…..I'm sure you do too….." she mentioned, anxious to see what his answer would be.

" If you prefer it, than so do I." the God stated, kissing her hard on the lips. " You are absolutely gorgeous…."

" How about the hair? Should I leave it like this…or should I put it up?"

" It's perfect just as it is. This way, .I can caress it whenever I feel like it…" he pointed out brushing his fingers through her waist long, silky tresses.

" Before we go…" she hesitantly started, without actually finishing her idea.

" Yeah?"

" Just wanted to tell you that I've made up my mind about your offer….."

"So soon? That's great news!" the God exclaimed, hope suddenly gleaming in his amber eyes.

"I wasn't talking about the ambrosia…."

"You weren't?" he asked, looking slightly confused.

" No…..about you showing me something from the past…." she stated, chewing on her bottom lip, still not sure if it was a good idea or not.

" ….And you allowing me free access to your mind…" he continued, pleased to discover that not everything was lost…

" Once , Ares. That's it….."

She sure said it like she meant it…

"Ok….that's only fair…."

" With a minor change…." she casually mentioned as if it was not that big a deal.

" And just what change would that be, my beautiful Princess?" he asked, visibly intrigued with her request.

" I can choose the moment I want to see…."

" I thought we already had that covered….something related to your army….But sure, why not?…Whatever you want…." he agreed a few moments later, convinced that it couldn't be anything too shocking . "Do you want us to do it now, or should we wait until after the party?"

" After….."

" Fine…..let's get you drunk then!"

" I don't drink…" she sternly reminded him.

"I know darling, I was just teasing….Can I drink?!"

" Not when you're with me…"

He had to laugh at her seriousness….She was something else….


	21. A warm welcome

In spite of her previous doubts, the Warrior Princess seemed to radiate an unshakable confidence as they entered the main hall- Ares' strong arm snaked tightly around her waist and the affectionate kiss he made sure to plant on the top of her head as they reached their destination, helping her bury in a distant corner of her mind all about the fact that she had a pretty tricky and difficult night ahead of her.

One single half- glance around to room was enough to paint a discreet smile on Xena's lips- once again, she had been right: the party was just like she had expected it to be- wild and decadent-not very far from the Roman orgies she had attended with the War God on several occasions- each and every one ending with them leaving early- given that for the excessively arrogant Olympian it was way too much to witness- for more then an hour or two- all the male attention his protégé was getting….A few punches were generally thrown here and there before he would finally decide that he had done enough damage for one night and that it was time they got themselves busy with other -considerably more pleasant- activities ….

Even now, she couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her lips at how rigid his body had become the very instant he saw her arching a brow at the perfectly sculpted chest of one of the guests….His fingers dug almost painfully hard into her flesh as he pulled her even closer to him, the deep frown distorting his face and the slightly curled upper lip letting that poor guy know that it was a good moment for him to start staring at the walls if he cared about his physical well- being.

A few more steps and they finally reached the royal table where, sprawled on a bed of dark red, fluffy pillows, Nabucco was eating a grape- his eyes literally glued to one of the amazingly gifted belly dancers that had been summoned to entertain the animalistic crowd present at the palace.

" Doesn't she have the most incredible breasts you have ever seen in your life?! " he asked Ares, without even blinking once- so entranced he was with the captivating way in which the spectacularly endowed woman moved, just a few tempting feet away from him.

" I've seen better." the War God replied with a smirk, inviting his Princess- who was still gazing around inquiringly, a bit surprised that the Queen hadn't arrived yet- to take a seat.

Indeed, our dark haired beauty could have bet that the bitch would already be there, anxiously waiting to sink her claws as deep into into her ex lover as possible…

" You're just saying that because this little minx has been probably fucking your brains out these past few hours….." the King snorted in disbelief, but one could also easily detect the raw note of envy in his voice. Truth was, he would have loved nothing more than to bury his cock to the hilt inside this juicy, newly forbidden fruit for at least a few savage rounds. She was exactly his type and, more than frustrated, he was offended that Ares was still obstinately refusing to deny him that pleasure when he had never denied him anything- heck he had even allowed him to fuck his own wife, so why on earth he couldn't do the same thing with this gorgeous, untamed Greek beauty was beyond him.

The God just laughed at the King's response, shaking his head at his childish reaction. He just didn't get it- not that he blamed him though, not when this inexplicable possessiveness he was feeling when it came to this mortal had taken even himself by surprise. He couldn't really put it into words, but he would have rather cut off the hands of each and every man in that room than to allow them to lay even a finger on her. She belonged to him and that was that….

" So uh…..please help yourselves…." the King courteously invited, pointing towards the excessively loaded table- the fruit pyramid alone could have fed an entire legion, Xena thought - while signaling to a couple of slaves to start attending to their any need. " How do you fancy Babylon so far, Xena? Have we managed to satisfy you? " he then asked, staring lustfully at her while sipping his wine, closing his eyes for a moment as the fine, aromatic liquid glided down his throat, inflaming his senses even more….

" …It's been a blast." she answered dully, without actually paying attention to their conversation as involuntarily, her eyes started scanning the crowd again, obviously looking for Amytis.

"That's good to hear….I'm happy to see that our little party has aroused your interest though. " he remarked, grinning at how promptly the War God had reacted to that information.

Indeed, his gaze had immediately shifted to his Chosen, just to discover that Nabucco had been right….She appeared unusually preoccupied with what was happening around them. Generally, she couldn't care less about this type of events and he always had to nag her for weeks about just how vitally important social gatherings such as this one were, before she finally agreed to accompany him….

" Yeah well…it's an interesting crowd. Novelty is always fascinating." she said, making herself even more comfortable in Ares' arms- who had ostentatiously marked his territory from the second they were invited to sit. There was no way he was going to let the King get anywhere near his Princess again- not after their last confrontation on the matter- so, as if all the signals he had been sending hadn't been enough, his other arm wrapped around her chest, literally chaining her to him.

" Easy there Bro'…You're gonna choke the poor woman to death…." Nabucco half laughed, obviously getting the message.

"Actually, she can take good care of herself, remember…? " the War God retorted, gently brushing his knuckles against his Princess' cheek, and the King had to make a face at the still humiliating memory of that sharp knife whizzing past his ears earlier that day.

Just as he was about to answer- keen on defending his manly honor- an unexpected silence took over the room though, and, several seconds later, on the exotic rhythm of two large barrel drums alone, the Queen herself made her entrance, dancing her way to the royal table, swaying and undulating her hips with the perfectly executed moves of a professional belly dancer, and, as if possessed by the music demon itself, the already ecstatic men and women flanking the improvised wooden stage set in the center of the room, went simply wild. Every single soul was visibly mesmerized by her performance... It was as if the vibrations of each note were literally flowing through her body, as if every new beat would pulsate at the same time with hear heart, becoming as fluid as the blood in her veins.

She was truly a spectacular presence, her every gesture, no matter how insignificant radiating femininity, grace , but also sex appeal through her every pore and as with every new step she glided closer and closer to the table, Xena became more and more restless- until a fierce pang of pain shot through her the moment the War God's embrace loosened for a second, just to tighten back again like a shield once the redheaded Queen had reached her destination.

As much as she hated this cunning witch, the Warrior Princess' own eyes were transfixed by the flawless perfection of her face, so once again- despite having solemnly promised herself to stop making comparisons- a despicable voice in her head kept asking how on earth could Ares not feel attracted to this absolutely glorious woman and, most importantly if she had ever come up to his standards in the first place….It was just that everything about his ex lover was so irritatingly fragile and vulnerable that protecting her came as natural as breathing for any living and conscious body, but on the other hand, at the same time, there was a distinct air of ultimate confidence and strength radiating from her delicate form that could be immediately remarked by right about anyone…

All in all, she was stunning and she knew it- just like she knew perfectly well how to use her unique beauty in her advantage- and that Persian flame themed costume she was wearing, along with the crystal rhinestones covering it, made her look like some surreal vision who was slowly coming to life under everyone's very eyes, just waiting to be consumed…

Needless to say, a thousand doubts and questions were bound to start consuming Xena's already tormented soul but, as if having sensed her nervousness, the War God began to slowly brush his fingers through her silky raven tresses, and for a few moments, despite the wave of insecurity that had been washing over her, she suddenly felt strong again….Whatever it was that Amytis was trying to do, that didn't change the fact that it was her he was holding…..

The Queen's little number finally ended in her husband's arms of course, with them kissing passionately as the music gradually changed its rhythm into a more languid, dreamy one and just as Xena was about to turn around and ask Ares something, a disarming thing happened…She could just swear she had felt Ares harden the instant the King's hand disappeared under the organza veils of his wife's dress, and though she had only felt it for a moment- a meaningless, fleeting moment before it was gone, letting her think that maybe she was being paranoid and that she had just imagined it all- something inside her broke…..His body still reacted at the mere sight of her...

" Just try to relax and enjoy the party…" he whispered huskily into her ear, once again sensing how impossibly tense her muscles had become.

He could tell that his old flame was the main reason behind her completely unjustified nervousness- they couldn't stand each other, there was no doubt about it- but not in a million years could he have guessed what was actually happening inside his Chosen's tormented soul.

As the royal couple's kiss eventually ended and Amytis finally decided that it was about time to greet her special guests, in less than a second, a new surprise was about to shake the Warrior Princess straight to the core, and indeed, a hurricane of pain devastated her mangled heart the moment her gaze stopped on a detail she had clearly- and strangely- missed while watching the Queen's show…**..a black rose** decorating her fiery read hair…

" I'm so glad you agreed to stay for the festival, Ares! " she exclaimed- way before the agony began settling on her rivals' face, not giving her the needed time to process this new information. " We have a lot of catching up to do." she added, astutely talking as if she actually wanted to include Xena in the conversation as well.

"Refusing you has always been a difficult task in itself " the God formally replied, his fingers now gliding up and down his Princess' arm.

"Yeah, well it's been way more fun with you around…I'd say we should turn this into a tradition…" she continued, while with the most delicate of gestures she signaled a slave to pour her some wine. " Xena, this outfit looks marvelous on you….It's a fabulous choice….This was my very first dancing costume.- a wedding gift from a very…**special**…friend. " she casually mentioned , her eyes holding a rare shade of melancholy in them and Ares unwillingly flinched at her words….Just what friend was that? Who was she talking about?

" Thank you. I had no idea you were so fond of it- I would have worn something different." Xena assured her, but though her words stated one thing, her tone told a completely different story.

" Nonsense! …..You couldn't have picked better! Seeing it again sure brings back a lot of memories, doesn't it Ares? " Amytis inquired, gently resting her hand on the God's knee, right above his leather boot, and this time, the Warrior Princess felt a wave of sizzling electricity coursing through the God's body along with an explosion of heat radiating from his suddenly tense form.

" What can I say? " he promptly replied, nothing in his speech betraying the intensity of his emotion. " Indeed, she looks amazing wearing it …..Still… I do prefer her naked …." he pointed out, his fingers pushing Xena's hair lightly to the side, so that he now had free access to her right shoulder on which he placed two soft kisses that made the Queen's eyes flare with jealousy despite the still positive vibes of her fake smile.

" I figured…You do have a thing for naked women.…." she said with a laugh that made Xena wanna slap her silly…

" You can't precisely resist them and they can't resist you…I'm sure that's something both your Chosen and I agree upon …She probably knows you like the back of her hand." the Queen stung, barely managing to conceal her malice but aware that there was no better way to intimidate a rival than by making her doubt everything she thought she was sure of up to that moment…

" You're just over reacting. As for my Princess here….all I can say is that she has many skills …keeping me in line is one of them." he said, grinning widely at his ex's subtle attacks….She hadn't changed…not one tiny bit…

" You're just being modest…" she teased, squeezing his leg a fraction, while offering him an equally broad, candid smile. " Anyway…..I have a surprise for you tonight, Xena…..You'll have the perfect opportunity to enthrall us all with your…**skills**…and make your patron God proud." she announced, raising from her divan and signaling to the musicians to stop for awhile.

" **My beloved guests…. On behalf of our divine King, Nebuchadnezzar, here present, I would like to welcome you to the annual festival of Ishtar, our patron Goddess, eternal protectoress of love, fertility, war and sex….attributes that we all honor and cherish …I thus officially declare open the long awaited celebrations we have been given the privilege to hold in her sacred name! **

**...May you all enjoy your stay at the palace for the following days and may your screams of infinite pleasure echo throughout the land….This year, we are most honored to have by our side, a precious ally and friend- _Ares, the Greek God of War_ and_ Xena of Amphipolis_ , his breathtaking Chosen- who has been kind enough to agree to perform tonight, in my place, the traditional dance of the Sun and the Moon, a humble spiritual sacrifice in the name of our holy Goddess. **

**Let us all give her a warm welcome! " **

Busy as she was with setting her devious plan into motion, Amytis failed to notice though that besides her, there was another person wearing an equally devious smile on her face….


	22. Naughty temptation

**IT SEEMS LIKE THE KING IS NOT AS STUPID AS WE ALL THOUGHT HE WAS...OR IS HE?! :)) ENJOY :) **

" Just what do you think you're doing, Amytis? " the War God growled , glaring at her with wild, rabid eyes, grabbing his Chosen ferociously by the wrist as she stood up- ready to take the challenge- and pulling her back down into his arms. Why in Tartraus did she even get up in the first place?! …And more than that, why did he still have that strong, lingering feeling that something had gone terribly wrong in their relationship and that the entire world he had struggled to build around- and for- her was falling to pieces at their feet?

…If he had initially blamed his overly possessive, paranoid mind for that gut wrenching fear that had somehow crept into him, gradually, the tension in her body had become impossible to deny each and every time he touched her- as for her gaze, he could physically feel the bone chilling coldness in it whenever their eyes met and it hurt and scared him beyond words to realize that as always, his instincts had been correct- he was slowly but surely losing her….It was as if with every passing minute, that incomprehensible precipice between him seemed to grow larger and deeper regardless of how hard he tried to please her…And now, as if that literally palpable distance between them wasn't punishment enough, the Queen' little scheme – and yeah, he knew damn well what was going on in that sick mind of hers- was only going to push his Princess even farther away from him and he just couldn't bare the thought.

"Oh relax, Ares! She'll do just fine. " Amytis purred in her snake like voice, interrupting his musing-but effectively capturing his attention again. " As you, yourself put it, she is very **gifted….** …so why not let her show off a little, have some real fun for once? - it would work wonders for her self esteem not to mention that it would certainly stroke your ego big time! And uh... just in case it slipped your mind, this is the highest honor a Queen can offer to her any guest- to refuse would be considered the ultimate offense- which I'm sure you already know-** punishable by death** according to the laws of Babylon and we wouldn't want that , would we?"

**" Are you threatening me?! "** the God asked through gritted teeth- dangerously lowering his tone. His ex lover had definitely crossed that thin, barely visible but present line she knew she had to avoid at any cost, and this was something that he just couldn't forgive.

" Don't worry…I got this…" Xena whispered tenderly into his ear- temporarily distracting him- wisely ignoring the redhead's subtle challenge. Instead- even to Ares' boundless surprise- she seized his lips in a long fiery kiss, the raw lust and the blazing heat of which made the God tremble with need …. Despite his reaction, it was pretty obvious though that he hadn't been expecting that, not when their relationship appeared to be going down the drain just minutes before…

Only a few steps away from them, the Queen's eyes were once again sparkling with jealousy. She was going to teach this sneaky cunt a lesson that she would remember for the rest of her life, that was for sure!

…Before our entranced War God got the chance to utter some kind of objection, still dazzled by the arousing intensity of that kiss, Xena was already on her feet again. There was no way she was going to miss the chance to get even with that conniving, condescending witch and if she had thought- for the tiniest second- that forcing her to shake her hips a couple of times would represent the ultimate humiliation or something, she was dead wrong! Soon, very soon, she would be begging both Ishtar and any other Babylonian Gods to make her stop….

As for Ares…..well…it was time she paid him back in his own coin….

" Would you be my Sun?" the Warrior Princess's irresistible voice could be suddenly heard addressing Nabucco, and let's just say that he looked absolutely delighted with her proposal.

A swift, sarcastic glance at Ares and a harsh, murderous stare were the only details that were bound to betray what was about to happen. Nevertheless, whatever doubts the passion driven King might have had, shattered the second he felt Xena's feather like touch on his face, turning his attention her way….She had the most hypnotic azure eyes he had ever seen in his life…

" I thought you'd never ask…" he mechanically replied, taking her hand to his lips and kissing it courteously- just like Ares had done a million times before- and they slowly headed towards the stage .

" Enjoy the show, Bro'!" he carelessly shouted at the War God- without bothering to look behind though- grinning widely at just how quickly the tables had turned. There he was, doing exactly what he had been craving to do ever since he laid eyes on this surreal beauty whose hand was firmly clasped within his…..He was going to touch her into the most intimate ways possible and that illegally sexy music was going to offer him the perfect opportunity to make her body cry out for more- a chance that he was definitely not going to waste.

It was only the crowd's mindless cheering and excited applause that covered Ares's angry growls and curses. He had been planning on skinning this reckless toad alive from the very moment they arrived at the palace- a brilliant idea really, that would have granted him an amazing amount of entertainment for the night, one that he had stupidly delayed- way too blinded by the gratitude he still felt for the King. And yet- as if only to spite and provoke him- it seemed like that brainless dimwit was asking for it- a very tempting invitation since all of the sudden, the perspective of bathing in his blood sounded incredibly alluring...!

**XXX **

"What exactly are we supposed to do?" the Warrior Princess restlessly inquired as the music started- a slow, languid melody that strangely reminded her of old spices, immemorial times and…..lost love….- searching fervently for his gaze.

"Not much….." the King calmly replied, slowly circling her as if she were some kind of rare, exotic prey the head of which was soon going to become his priceless trophy no matter the cost or the consequences. " It's a lot like…..**having sex-** a notion I'm sure you're very familiar with given the company you're usually in…." he softly answered- his expression hardening a bit as he said it though- scanning her luscious body from head to toe.

He might have kept his distance so far – there was no way for him to get close enough to woo her, not with Ares's constant presence hovering at her side- but truth be told, he couldn't wait to lick each and every inch of that smooth, velvety skin of hers, to touch every little spot the War God had touched, to explore every intimate place…to make her moan and whirl and scream her ecstasy at the top of her lungs….to make her beg….

" Just relax beautiful .." he reassured- sensing the rapidly mounting tension in her muscles- extending his hand and rubbing her lips in such an incredibly erotic way that the crowd went instantly wild…." Let me do the hard work….The only thing you need to do is to enjoy the moment …" he smiled, closing the distance between them even more and finally allowing his hands the pleasure of tracing unhurriedly her curves as the music got a bit more dynamic.

Despite herself, Xena could distinctly sense a very familiar little tingle along the back of her neck- one that quickly flashed down her spine just to end up settling between her thighs along with an undeniable heat that started to swell and spread inside her with a speed that left her agape…She was incredibly aroused and yet, she had never even liked this filthy pig…. ….!

A few more delicate caresses- all of them disguised in some sort of weird dance routine- was all it took, and, as if only to make her even more edgy, her stomach knotted up….She was holding her breath for something…She was holding her breath for his next touch…She desperately **wanted **him and somehow- the shock washed over her- ** she** ended up circling **him,** making him close his eyes in utter abandon when her fingers- hesitant at first- began exploring the contours of his handsome face…

Unconsciously, for the third time since their sexy little number had started , Xena licked her lips- they tasted incredibly sweet- a strange, unfamiliar flavour between vanilla and something else that she just knew she hadn't tasted before…Whatever it was though, the aroma was utterly addictive…

…..More and more, with each new move, she started to melt under the King's scandalous touches and gradually, every intention she might have had about resisting him, dissolved under the burning gazes of all the men and women watching them …. Indeed, although she couldn't possibly tell it, her body had began to arch and sway in ways she had never suspected it was even humanly possible. She was like a candle, melting under the effect of such passionate and illicit ministrations that she could hardly think straight any longer- she was drugged with desire.

She was melting, yes- but in the wrong arms…and the sugary white dust the King was constantly placing on her lips without her knowledge, was only making her lose even more the control she thought she had over the situation…

**XXX **

In the meantime, just several feet away from the wooden stage, one could actually hear the blood boiling in Ares' veins. It sounded- and it felt- like molten lava …..Not only had she chosen the King as a partner for that ridiculous thing they called a dance, but also, with every new move- that was keeping the crowd well entertained – she seemed to be more and more entranced by what was a very graphic simulation of love making – the music being only a poor excuse for their act…..

His irises darkened as his gaze crept over his Chosen.….One by one, the veils covering her perfectly chiseled, shameless body fell to the ground - the King making sure to anxiously rip each and every one of them- all the while wearing that mocking, sarcastic smile on his face.

…The flawless contour of her body could be clearly seen now and only one last thin organza veil still covered her full, round breasts- the nipples of which were fully erect.

She was definitely enjoying this, that much he could tell- and though he was pretty certain that her childish act was only payback for that stupid kiss he had shared with Amytis- that didn't make him any less angry….He literally wanted to break her neck or even better, to chop her to little pieces - which would have been way more fun!

" Relax Ares…she's doing great….I mean , look at her…she's a natural…!." the Queen finally spoke- an ironic, wicked smile- the mirror image of her husband's - tickling the corners of her mouth.

This was the moment she had been waiting for- the moment alone with her favorite lover- while that dark haired monkey of his was being methodically seduced by the cunning Babylonian King.

Little did she care about the fact that Nabucco's hands were gliding right about everywhere now, lecherously massaging the Warrior Princess' breasts before a hand sneaked under what was left of her dress, heading straight to her steaming, spasming pussy….Her plan had been set in motion and there was no one to stop her….Judging by Ares' heart stopping stare, he would soon hate his Chosen to death- or at least he would want to get even – and she would be just there waiting to take advantage of his weakness, licking his wounds- and his cock if it pleased him- and mending his hurt godly pride…

"…Plus, I doubt that she will seriously go through with it….." she mentioned making the God glare daggers at her again… He knew the legend far to well. He had attended several of the Queen 's parties during those three hundred years they had spent together and he had actually been Amyty's partner on several occasions so the story was more than simply familiar to him….

It was said that the Sun and the Moon had been star crossed lovers from the beginning of time, but the curse of Marduk, God of Darkness - who had also been bewitched by the breathtaking beauty of the Moon- broke them forever apart, cruelly throwing them into different realms of the same world- so that they could never see each other for more than one hour at the end of each day. The two lovers were bound to live in a constant, heartbreaking torment that was only going to end the moment eternity itself would elapse…..

It was after one of their brief but passionate encounters that the Moon gave birth to a ravishing little girl- Isis, their patron Goddess….

"I have an idea…" Amytis sensually insisted, her lips brushing lightly against the side of his neck now- overly confident that a blunt refusal was out of the question- " Why don't you let me distract you for a little while….? Let them have their share of fun while we have ours….I mean…take a look around you, at all these people…most of them have already started doing exactly what we ourselves are sooo good at…". she suggested, desire flickering in her eyes.

...Nothing could have prepared her for what happened next...


	23. The sound of drums

It was a selfish and a screwed up thing to want her dead after everything he knew had happened between him and Amytis during the last few days…Even if nothing physical had yet taken place, he was attracted to her like a moth to a flame and he knew it- they both knew it, and we could even extend this statement to saying that** all four of them knew it**…They were all aware of the powerful magnetism between the two, they had all sensed it, and what for him had been longing and barely suppressed need- and for Nabucco an equally shared lust- for Xena, everything had translated into pain, tension and frustration. It was only fair for her to crave for some kind of payback and he was not absurd.…**but this?!** He couldn't even stand the though of someone else touching her let alone the reality of her actually- willingly- accepting this kind of interaction and even worse, feeling extremely aroused by it….

Oh…he was going to beat the crap out of her treacherous body until she swore she would never even dare think about anything similar in her life! As for the King…..he was going to strangle that suicidal clown with the last veil covering his Princess' body!

**XXX **

The music itself had an incredibly titillating effect on her shockingly responsive body, and soon, despite her considerable effort to deny her any form of pleasure, there was no longer hesitation in any of her actions…He wanted him to fuck her so bad that she could no longer control any of the trembling moans leaving her mouth each time his lips made contact with her flesh, each time his thumb caressed the slick swollen hood of her clit, and soon the world around them vanished along with the deafening cheering of the crowd ….Nothing mattered anymore and as the fire burning between her thighs only began to grow even more intense, she threaded her fingers through his hair, almost begging for a more intimate contact…..

" Do you like this…?" his low, addictive voice whispered against her hungry, scorched lips, keeping his mouth hovering just out of reach, driving her completely crazy with carnal desire, sending her pulse-rate rocketing- pushing her mind into an entirely different dimension.

" Dear gods….yeah…." she mewled weakly, arching convulsively into him.

" Do you want me to stop?" he asked again, and her tits shivered, their nipples erect and hard when his perfectly sculpted chest touched hers for a split second, making her heart pound madly now with anticipation...

" I'd kill you…." she threatened, pulling him even closer to her …

Indeed, she couldn't remember a time in her life when she had been so impossibly wet, it seemed like her continuously twitching cunt was just screaming to be filled….Truth be told she couldn't really focus on anything that was outside that invisible bubble of ecstasy the King had created for her, but, all of a sudden despite the magic and consuming desire pulsating achingly throughout her pelvis when he finally positioned himself between her legs, ready to plow her delicious pussy as hard and as wild as he could, a very familiar face appeared for a split second before her perfectly hypnotized moons, messing with her head, and sending a wave of unprecedented panic through her every cell….

What in Tartarus was she doing?!

" Ares?" she breathed out, narrowing her eyes but barely distinguishing the man's face.

"Yeah, baby , it's me…" the voice answered, but despite the reassuring words, there was something troubling about it and something just didn't click inside her drug-fogged brain….She could feel his throbbing cock pressing against her slick entrance through the fine fabric of his pants- the last standing barrier between them, and though her instincts took over for a few moments again, urging her to grind frantically her almost exploding cunt against the temptingly hard surface, a piercing scream coming from that little voice inside her head finally got to her, telling her that something had went horribly wrong.

"Oh…fuck me…." she murmured lustfully through clenched teeth, her fingers digging eagerly even harder into his shoulders, unable to physically control her need, despite the alarm signals constantly flooding her brain now….Everywhere he touched her skin heated, every muscle was now stringing with the ardent need to feel that amazing heat as deep inside her as possible. " I want your thick cock inside me…" she urged him, biting her lip and moaning even louder the moment she felt him getting rid of his pants…

" I want you to beg first…" he whispered tenderly against her ear, his own passion as well as the effect of the few glasses of wine that he had been drinking since the orgy started, finally mixing enough to take over him, clouding his own vision and reason…..

And then, it happened…..- despite the fact that she had no clue about why it was she had done it- a primal instinct coming from the deepest corner of her mind, made her turn her head towards the royal table where she finally met his stare…

She couldn't utter a word, not one that didn't involve urging the King to bang the life out of her, but her suddenly desperate, frightened gaze said it all, and the mute scream that left her mouth was more than enough for the War God …..

**XXX **

Without a second thought- and definitely without taking for one moment her attractive offer into consideration- Ares' hand collided so brutally with the Queen's cheek that the contact sent her to the ground as if she had been struck by Celesta's lethal sword.

" Just because there's still fire burning between us, don't think for one second that I would ever allow it to turn into weakness, Amytis! I'm neither dumb nor that blinded with lust to pretend that I can't see straight through your little act and your cheap manipulations ! " he barked at her, barely containing his wrath the minute his dagger grazed her throat. "Next time you try something similar, I'll cut you to little pieces, I swear it on the head of Zeus and on the Styx itself!"

" You're threatening me for that common whore who's rubbing herself like a bitch in heat against my husband's cock?!" the Queen, growled back furiously, and it appeared like she couldn't care less that the God of War in person was about to gut her like a pig.

Right before he could push that sharp blade deep into her tender flesh though, Xena's voice, so distinct- so unique despite all that noise- reached his mind, filling every little inch of his immortal being like nothing else could, and he instantly jumped to his feet at the suffocating anxiety and panic reverberating from its notes.

" _Aresssssssss." _

As their eyes met across the room, to her utter surprise, the Warrior Princess saw neither hate, nor fury glazing their surface, but fear…**fear in its purest form…**.

The following second, a sphere of dark energy sent- much to the shock of his loyal subjects and guests- the sleazy King flying across the stage like a rag doll, breaking a marble pillar on his way towards the wall.

It didn't last long until with a wave of his hand, the God materialized a light blue dress on Xena's almost bare, luscious curves.

" What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he grunted, grabbing her by the hair and raising her face level the instant he got close enough to do so….

" I don't know….." she mechanically replied , unable to come up with a more decent, excusable answer. She could feel his wrath, pressing through his aura right against her soul like a massive boulder that made her literally shiver in fear- but she could hardly think straight anyway.

" You worthless piece of…" he started to say as all that pent up rage finally got to the point where it was burning his insides like an inextinguishable fire, ready to engulf him and all that damned place, but the rest of his curses died somewhere between his throat and the tip of his tongue when he noticed the faint trace of white dust on her lips. For a split second, everything around him changed into an irritating shade of bright crimson and, brushing lightly his lips against hers, he took one last deep breath before he directed his gaze towards the hardly conscious King who was still struggling to keep his eyes open.

" Let me see if I get this right….You invite me to spend a few days under your roof and after having granted you that honor , you repay my kindness by **drugging my Chosen**?!" his voice thundered throughout the palace with the deafening noise of a hundred drums playing at the same time…


	24. Debts paid

Despite their long- lasting friendship, and despite having seen the demented Olympian at least several times doing his worst and still live to tell the story, Nabucco shuddered at the awareness that the idea of crossing that overly thin line defining their relationship might have come with a price…

He was still dazed, yes, and his head was still spinning after that incredibly powerful collision with the wall- the crowed itself had suddenly gone mute when they saw the stone structure cracking in half- but he was not numb enough yet as not to realize that his clock had just begun to rapidly tick backwards counting what in his mind were the last seconds of his wretched life…

The music itself had died away- somewhere between the moment when the King's shoulder jumped out of place –causing him only a slight amount of pain though compared to what his executioner's sick imagination had already carefully planned for him throughout that scandalizing dance he had so nonchalantly performed with his Chosen- and the moment the now rabid son of Zeus headed his way- the death bringing sound of his heavy leather boots successfully replacing that absolutely soul chilling beat of the barrels that had nearly ruptured everyone's eardrums.

"Like what's the big deal Bro?! You know how it goes here in Bab'…..I mean look around you…Everyone's using it! You know me, I meant no harm. Plus, she was enjoying herself, you saw that…" he struggled to mutter- finding it extremely hard to actually articulate the words- in a rather fable attempt to save himself from the bloody ordeal that was to come.

" Ares no! Please!" the Queen's unnaturally weak, broken voice erupted on the background at about the same time- even if for only a couple of meaningless seconds- but it hardly made an impression. Most of the present guests didn't even bother to glance her way, as for Ares…he was too busy dragging the King out from under a table where he had cowardly sought refuge, to be able to focus on anything else…..

**" Get out you stinking weasel! "** he growled, grabbing his leg and forcefully pulling him out. He generously welcomed his loyal friend with a few savagely applied punches straight in the nose, and if the first blow literally turned his face into a water fountain, the second , the third and the forth ones were bound to change his physiognomy for the rest of his immortal days…..

" This one is for making eye contact with** my Chosen** for more than three seconds!" he shouted, once again his knuckles crashing the already damaged visage, eliciting a low moan from his theatrically gagging and chocking on his own blood, victim. Those lamentable moans weren't nearly enough to satisfy the steaming god's thirst for vengeance.

" And this one, is for your fucking nonchalance when addressing her..."

Another punch, the sound of which was almost identical with the previous one, was followed this time by the Queen's piercing shriek, desperate and hopeless just like the whole situation was.

"This is for having touched her the way you did…and this…..this is…..this is just for fun…." he mockingly added before directing one last blow straight in the pit of his stomach, making his dangerously labored breathing become even nosier - come to think of it, it kinda reminded him of the asthma one of his priestesses used to have before he killed her one night, much to irritated by the disgusting sounds she was making while sucking his cock…With her though- putting her out of her misery- now that had been a generous, altruist thing to do….With this empty headed friend of his….now this was another story…..

He couldn't really tell how much time it had passed since he begun hitting Nabucco- he only knew that- strangely enough for a God- his blemished knuckles were starting to hurt, and that the petty excuse for a King was nothing more than a limp, boringly predictable rag doll.

" Ares… ! You're killing him…." Amytis screamed again- uselessly trying to push him away from the heavily bleeding form of the now unconscious King.

"I wish I could…..Sadly, I don't have on me the necessary weapon for that rewarding treat – I didn't suspect I would need it here..- shame on me for having been that reckless…won't happen again, I assure you!" he hissed through clenched teeth before getting a sharp knife out of a boot. " Still, this should do quite fine for a bit of high quality carving…..What should we start with? I was thinking with something he doesn't use often…" he asked- a rhetoric question really, for he didn't have the slightest intention to wait for an answer.

Needless to say, the Queen's skin crawled at the sight of that dreadful dagger heading straight for her husband's chest, and one thing was certain: she acted solely on instinct- pure mindless instinct- when she caught her ex lover's wrist, preventing the blade to actually pierce the flesh deeper than it already had the chance to.

" Ares I'm begging you….Please….he saved your life once. This is how you repay him?! By taking his own?!" the half yelled reproach fell from her lips as bitter and as poisonous as her soul was at the moment…..

"It was for his boundless generosity that I offered you both the gift of immortality in the first place, or has that little detail slipped your mind, Amytis? He has already lived more than he deserves! "

" Do it for me then, for the past that we shared….Please…he's all I have, you know that….."

Oh, the romance! The God couldn't help the half amused, half sarcastic chuckle that started tickling his throat until it gradually tuned into an completely uncontrollable fit of laughter.

" He's all you have….That's funny…..**all you have** apart from most of the cocks in this room! **Is there anyone here who hasn't fucked the Queen?!** " he shouted, glaring at the crowd, but no answer came of course. " Well just in case you haven't, I'd suggest you take a shot at her juicy cunt before midnight….she was very horny and unsatisfied just a few minutes ago and well...she's quite a ride, may I add. You should be proud to have such a giving Queen!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

The silence turned even heavier the moment Amytis' palm collided with his cheek.

**" You disgusting pig!"** she spat, a silent tear rolling down her visage, but Ares could see right through her…It was not the public humiliation that had hurt her so, but his contempt- and though he had definitely done some damage to her perfectly shaped image, he knew better...He could clearly see the pain in her troubled, teary eyes and he silently congratulated himself for it.….

As surprising as it might seem, he didn't say anything even when she rose her hand to strike him a second time, on the contrary- he laughed….But then, a mere blink later, the laughter suddenly turned from amused to sinister and soon, his fingers were furiously tangling into her hair, with a brutal force throwing her down on the floor, face down, straight in the pool of blood coming from the King's horribly deformed body.

" Can you taste that?! …."he barked, pushing her head down, low enough to make sure that her lips touched the still warm claret.

" Next time we meet, it will be your own blood you'll be bathing in…."

"Ares…" Xena's voice could be suddenly heard from the other side of the room, pulling him into a totally different reality….She was still lying there, in the middle of the stage where he had left her, struggling to get up , but the drugs made it impossible for her to control her muscles…Her body just refused to listen…..

" I'll be with you in a minute Sweetheart…." he let her know while leaning down to whisper to Amytis something that she just had to know before he left…" Do keep in mind that any debt I might have still had with you, is now paid. I should have mutilated you both beyond reconnaissance for your offense….!"

With that and a rough push later, the God left the Queen and headed towards his Princess, who, even drugged as she was, could still pick up on his feelings…..He was angry…even with her….

"Come on darling….Up you go…"

A strong enough pull and she was on her feet, but she didn't need to struggle too long with standing, cause next thing she knew, she was being swept in his arms and her head rested immediately on his chest as if she had been waiting the entire night for that contact…

The bright lights and the ceaseless swirling of the vortex blinded her to the point where even one minute after their little trip ended, she still couldn't see clearly….She did recognize a very distinct smell though as he carefully placed her on the bed, and the delicate feeling of the cold satin sheets was unmistakable….

" Are we home?"

" Yeah…..we're home….." he answered briefly, his voice hardly above a whisper…He was sad….a sadness that only turned into utter astonishment when he felt her probing fingers against his crotch , slowly squeezing and caressing his cock….

"Good…it was about time …." she sensually murmured, her other hand going straight between her legs, massaging herself…..

For once when it came to this type of interaction, the God's veins were flooded not with desire but with something a bit different….


End file.
